Task 4

Review of 5 newspaper articles from “The Straits Times” or “Today” and talk about what you have learnt

  For this task, I have chosen to review all my articles from the “Today” newspaper. All the articles are dated on the same day – Monday, 31^st December 2012.

  The first article I chose was titled “India cries for Greater Protection for Women”. This article is about how the government reacted to the gang rape that happened in New Delhi. This was a very tragic story and it caused all of us at home to ponder what else can the government do to protect the rights of women? In ancient times, men have always been favoured over women. However, as we enter into the 21^st Century, we realise this is no longer and issue on the first world countries. However it is still prevailing in countries such as India. From this article I have learnt that everyone has rights. I have also learnt that violence is never the way to solve a problem. In this case, an innocent policeman who was just doing his job got killed by an angry mob of protestors. My deepest condolences go out the victim and the policeman.

  The second article I reviewed was titled “Delhi’s Response in Rape Case Fuels Anger”. This article was on how some members of the public felt it that the government’s response was ‘stupid’ as quoted by Ms Jayati Gosh, a professor of economics at Jawaharal Nehru University. The people felt that the actions of the government were to protect themselves and the real problem highlighted in this case is that the government is ‘not even listening’. A particular member of parliament even made a sexist comment about female protestors which angered the public even more. Overall I learnt from this article that we should be mindful of what we say as what we say can be used against us. I have also learnt that it is important to listen to the voices of the people to because they can also give their own opinions on hot to make the country into a better place.

  The third article I reviewed is titled “Woman Charged with Murder as Hate Crime for NY Subway Shove”. I felt very angry when I first heard about this piece of news. Basically, a lady who harboured a very strong hatred for Muslims and Hindus, pushed an Indian man into the railway track where an incoming train knocked him down, killing him instantaneously. The woman did not even know the man, and was not even clear whether he was a Hindu, but she got up from her seat to push the man to his death. Through this article, I have learned how important racial and religious harmony is. One of our NE messages is “We must preserve racial and religious harmony.” This has made me thankful to live in a country like Singapore where every race is equal.

  Next, the article I reviewed was titled “Bus Bomb Wounds 7 People in Southern Philippines”. A homemade bomb exploded in the rear of a passenger bus, wounding 7 people. I felt this was a very cruel thing to do as these 7 people were innocent; they did not commit any wrongs but yet were killed for no reason. From this article I have learnt that life is unpredictable, we should always treasure what we have and be thankful for our loved ones. Therefore we should live life to the fullest : )

  Lastly, the final article I chose was titled “No Apple Gadgets for Bill Gates’ Kids”. I chose this article as I was intrigued to find out more. As I read on, I realised that Mrs Gates, confessed on a talkshow that she did not allow her children to use products from their competitor. According to Mrs Gates, “wealth from our family came from Microsoft so why would we invest in a competitor”. However Bill Gates clarified that there is no bad blood between him and the founder of Apple- Steve Jobs. In fact he added that ‘competition [is] always a positive thing’. From this article, I have learnt that even rivals can be friends. It is also important to have competition as it gives you advice on how to improve on yourself.