Printed books and magazines are no longer relevant for teens today? By Lim Kay Kiat

Printed books and magazines have been outdated by the technology age. They are no longer relevant to teens today as technology allows a better way of transferring information other than books and magazines. Books and magazines require a lot of work to produce and to be distributed and need a lot of space to store them. However in today’s context; teens prefer to have all these information stored in a small device called smart phones. Furthermore, it is much easier to transfer this information via smartphones as all it takes to pass this information to thousands of people is a simple click. Thus, books and magazines are no longer relevant to teens as technology has improved.

However, some people think that books and magazines still play an important role and are still relevant for teens. Books and magazines have no other functions besides being used for the transfer of information, unlike smart phones. This reduces the chances of teens getting distracted while wandering off while reading. Smart phones on the other hand have numerous uses and these act as distractions which cause teens to be unable to concentrate on reading. For example, teens often are unable to resist the temptation of games. Thus, a book or magazine is still required to help inculcate the habit of reading. if the teen reading the book or magazine does not want to get distracted by all these other functions of a smart phone. So, magazines and books are still relevant for teens today.

SPY CAMERA By Lim Kay Kiat

FOUND IN BBC NEWS 

A new form of technology has recently been invented for cameras. This new technology is a camera in a shape of a ball; this camera allows the user to take photos in all angles. This allows opens up more possibilities, police can now use this to check rooms or fire fighters can use it to search unreachable locations in the rubble for survivors.

In my opinion I think this is a great invention as this ball is compact and small thus allowing it to reach places which are too small for a human to get into. This allows people to search in places once deemed as impossible. It also speeds up the process of rescuing trapped victims in disasters as rescuers can now use these to search for victims rather than digging aimlessly in search for victims. However I think that this technology if in the wrong hands can also be very dangerous, terrorist can now use this to gain information in restricted areas as this camera is small and hard to detect. On a lighter note, the paparazzi can also make use of such technology to spy on celebrities, thus compromising their privacy.

A bigger earth discovered? By Soon Qi Wei

        Astronomers have discovered a new planet which lies 42 light years away from our earth. Although it is seven times the size of our earth, scientist say that it is highly possible  for water to be present there, which would also mean that it is habitable. This could be a new scientific breakthrough as it could mean having other living organisms populating that planet.
              Personally, I believe this is a very important piece of information. If anything were to happen to our earth in the future, instead of perishing together with the planet, we could use advanced technology to travel to other planets which have suitable conditions to sustain life. With global warming and other global problems on the rise, this is a research that is definitely necessary worth investing in. As our earth is already so damaged by man, other alternatives must be sought out to ensure our survival if anything were to happen on our planet. This way, if the many laws and rules fail to protect our mother earth, we would still have another alternative.   Click here to view full article!!

By Lim Kay Kiat What roles do parents and friends play in the life of teenagers?

Friends are often shape how a teenager grows up to be. Research conducted recently by a well-known institute has shown that teenagers who mix with friends who are more hardworking tend to achieve better grades. Furthermore, teens who mix with friends who are gangsters often pick up smoking themselves, get involved in fights and join gangs. This is because during this age teens are trying to find an identity for themselves. Teenagers often seek their close friends for support and help. Sometimes these friends might give the inappropriate form of support the teenager needs. For example when a teenager is feeling down or stressed, his friend might encouraging him to smoke or drink alcohol so as to get “high” or to drown his sorrows. This in turn might get teenager hooked onto alcohol or smoking which might become a habit which carries on to the teenager’s adult life. A teenager’s friends are like the molds which form the teenager.

One role of parents in the life of teenagers is that of providing a moral compass. (Topic sentence) Teenagers are most easily influenced during their teen years; mostly by their peers. Thus, it is very important that parents teach their teenage children the right values and lead them on the right path as parents are the ones who spend the most time with their teenagers. For example, recently the news has reported that illegal money loaners have exploit the naivety of teens and employed them to distribute flyers to promote their illegal money lending businesses. Besides, it is the duty as parents to impart the right values the child needs to learn so that they can grow up to be useful citizens and contribute positively to the society. Thus a role of a parent is to be the moral compass of teenagers.

What roles do parents and friends play in the life of teenagers? By Soon Qi Wei

One role of parents in the life of teenagers is that of providing a moral compass for the teenagers. As parents are the people teenagers see most of the time, they are one of the most influential people in the teenager’s lives. Recently, the straits times reported that loan sharks have recruited teenagers to help them distribute illegal flyers. This shows how naïve teenagers are and how they are not mature enough to make their own decisions. Therefore, parents have huge roles and responsibilities to keep their child on the right path. Furthermore, if a teenager builds up good moral values at home, in the public and in society, good moral values would come very naturally as it is well practiced at home.          

One role of friends in the life of teenagers is that of providing support and comfort to one another. Friends play an important part in a teenager’s life as friends are there to provide support when he is in need of help. When a teenager is discouraged by bad test results or poor performances in CCAs, friends are there to help cheer him up. However, it is not wise to rely completely on friends for support as friends might offer the wrong comfort. For example, many teenagers are led astray by friends who offer a cigarette or a cup of beer to relax him. This shows how friends can provide the wrong comfort to a teenager.

Talking elephant mimics Korean with help of his trunk

An elephant living in a zoo in Asia, learned to mimic human speech (in Korean) and had astounded numerous scientists.The elephant named Koshik, placed the tip of his trunk into his mouth to transformed his natural low rumble into a convincing impression of a human voice. A limited but diverse number of species are capable of hearing a sound, copying it and then reproducing it. The elephant is one of the species which is able to produce it. Scientists say that understanding how and why some animals make sounds could help us to understand how speech evolved.

I believe this new discovery is a stepping stone for mankind as who knows, elephants would be able to communicate and cooperate with us.This enables us to do many things that humans are not capable of doing so, like lifting big objects.

Argumentative Essay - Is multiracial diversity a strength or a weakness?

As Singapore develops further, there are more people migrating in because of the clean and green environment, great tourist attractions and many job opportunities. This leads to a multiracial diversity in Singapore. I believe that this is a weakness for the country. 

As there are more people migrating in, there would be more foreign talent in Singapore which would not be able to give Singaporeans a chance and opportunity to show and prove what they are capable of doing. Therefore, as time goes by, the country would have too many foreigners who have stable jobs unlike the Singaporeans. I believe that the opportunities should be given to the Singaporeans as citizens of the country.