(SAMPLE) DESIGNER BABIES BY MRS TEOH

Link to Designer Babies 

SUMMARY : In the UK, a family who had seen generations of their women die of breast cancer was given the chance to change all that with a scientific process called PGD. Normally women who have this cancer gene undergo a double mastectomy. However the revolutionary PGD process allows for screening and removal of the defective gene. Several embryos from the couple were genetically tested and the ones without the breast cancer gene were kept refrigerated for incubation whenever a new family member was desired. Doctors explain it is not a cancer cure and does not suit every couple.
 

OPINION: In my opinion science has advanced so much that we are now able to determine the future of our children to give them a brighter future. Without the once inheritable diseases like Muscular Dystrophy – which Stephen Hawking suffered from - mankind can then live in an age of better health. This benefit will reduce tremendous health costs and allow the money saved to be channelled to other needs. Without debilitating diseases, there will be less suffering within families. Children who have been set free from the legacy of a fatal illness will be able to live a full life and contribute significantly to society. All in all, society benefits from such an advancement.

JUNE ARTICLE LINKS BY MRS TEOH

Please use these 20 articles for your April-May-June Blogs (links inserted)

World's Worst Toxic Dump
Why Chinese Mothers are better

Singapore's Instant Noodle Generation

Strawberry Generation in Singapore

Little Emperor in China 

Overpampered children in Europe

Social media 'exposes girls to sexual abuse'

Teachers blame parents for class chaos 

Get back to basics of education: Heng Swee Keat
UK Prince visits Singapore
Teenager sells his app for $18 million

Poverty creeps up on elderly South Koreans

threats to EARTH: Global Warming  and Climate Change 

Threats to Earth : deforestation

Threats to Earth : over fishing & poaching

Threats to Earth : Pollution

Threats to Earth : Water Shortage

Dying alone becomes the norm in Japan

China officials caught dyeing grass!!

Gifted or Well Prepared ?

Comparing the Singapore and Finnish education system

Lifelong learning 

Pushover parents, pampered children

Link to article

Summary: Children nowadays are overly pampered and have better material goods than adults. Whatever they demand from their parents, they get. Their parents give in easily to their temper tantrums and grant them anything they want, as doing otherwise would be unthinkable. Parents say that they feel coerced to give their children what they want when they see their children upset. As a result, more and more children feel that they are owed a living and grow up lacking responsibility and the ability to look after themselves.

Opinion: I think that parents should stop being pushovers and should not give in no matter how hard it seems. Doing so will only make their children feel like they are the bosses and that they should be cared for. Although they may think they are doing their children good, the parents are actually making grown up life for their child harder. Children who cannot handle stress and manage responsibilities have a tough life ahead of them.

Singapore's Instant Noodle Generation

Link to Article

Summary: More and more children in Singapore are being pampered and many have maids to look after them. Such teenagers do not need to perform even the simplest of chores, and as such have no ability to do things on their own. This problem is so severe that even Singapore's leaders have spoken up about it, going on about how Singaporean youth have grown up pampered and how they should be taught self-reliance. To attempt to solve this problem, a government task force called Remaking Singapore was set up to teach Singaporeans not to focus on just the 5 Cs.

Opinion: I feel that Singaporean youth should not be overly pampered as this can cause them to grow up to become people who are unable to look after themselves. By not letting their children complete chores, parents are letting their children miss out on opportunities to learn responsibility and self independence. These values are essential for grown up life and must be developed in order for a child to succeed. I suggest that parents have a part-time maid to help out with the harder chores while the children help out with the smaller tasks.

Strawberry Generation in Singapore

Link to article

Summary: Many say that our youth are soft and crushable like strawberries and lack the toughness of the older generations. According to surveys conducted, only 60% of the surveyed youth were able to perform the simple task of cooking a meal for themselves. Some people interviewed thought that youths  are too sheltered and have not been given the opportunity to face challenges by themselves. Even Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong recently put emphasis on the need for Singapore to have tough youths that are able to turn into leaders.

Opinion: I agree with the article that today's teens are too "soft". I have seen many examples that prove this is true. One such example is when I see some of my school mates having their grandparents or helpers carry their school bags for them. Another infamous example is the picture of a NS man whose helper was helping him carry his army pack that surfaced on the internet. All of these prove that my generation is too soft. I feel that parents should not be overly-protective of their children and should allow them to face hardships on their own to help the develop independence.

News Article: Water Scarcity- By Lim Kay Ray

Summary:
Although 70% of our planet is covered by water, we must not waste it or misuse it as only 3% of that is freshwater- the water we drink and bathe in. The rest are unconsumable. This results in 1.1 billion people worldwide lack access to clean water, and 2.7 billion find water scarce for at least a month for the year. Water pollution comes from many causes, such as pesticides and fertilizers that is washed away from farms, untreated human wastewater and industrial waste. This water if consumed can be fatal to humans and plants. Due to pollution growth, agricultural use of water is scarce as they need water to grow crops.

Opinion:
I think that as water covers 70% of our planet, many tend to think that it is plentiful. They should not waste water or pollute it as this fresh water that they use to drink and bathe in may be scarce for other countries around the world such as India and Indonesia. Farmlands should change to hydroponics farming as in hydroponics farming, the amount of pesticides and fertilizers used is greatly reduced, resulting in a great difference in cleanliness of the waters nearby as the pesticides and fertilizers would not be washed in. Industrial estates should also put their waste through a filter so that it would not pollute the air and water. Water is precious and not all have access to fresh drinking water.

News Article: Climate Change- By Lim Kay Ray

Summary:
Global warming is a serious environmental threat to both animals and Man at the same time in this time and age. The sea levels are rising and the waters are getting warmer. Longer, more intense droughts threaten crops, wildlife and freshwater supply. This is caused due to the excessive greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, traps heat in the atmosphere by regulating our climate.

Opinion:
I think that scientist should find a way to replace the use of fossil fuels and will thus decrease produce of greenhouse gases. Industrial factories should consider natural, renewable resources like solar energy, wind energy and kinetic energy from running water. These sources of energy are renewable and do not harm the environment, but they may be more costly than burning fossil fuels. Fossil fuels take a long time to recover and may not recover fast enough as they are used and burnt at a rapid rate.