I agree that effective law and order requires effective punishment. What will stop a person from committing a crime and not give in to the temptation he has? Neither is it mother’s nagging nor is it moral education. It is punishment.
Punishment has been proven to be the best way to maintain effective law and order throughout the years. Punishment inflicts both physical and mental pain in the criminal, some of which he or she would remember for life. The main reason why ex-offenders did not repeat their mistakes is because they do not want to go through the pain again. One part of the video shows a man not willing to confess that he had stolen his friend’s crops, but when he was to dip his hand into the hot oil (a traditional way of indicating who is guilty), he was so scared that he confessed that he was the one who stole those crops. This shows that generally, man is afraid of pain and punishment. Examples of punishments include: committee services, canning, jailing, public humiliations and death sentence.
Nevertheless, punishment must be differentiated from torture. Torture is the act of inflicting excruciating pain, as punishment or revenge, as a means of getting a confession or information, according to dictionary.com. Acts of torture should never be allowed to be a form of punishment as it clearly violates human rights.
However, punishment does not necessary yields effective law and order. Some criminals got use to the punishments that are inflicted on them and they are thus immune to the pain. No amount of punishments would change them. For these people, what they need most are supports and encouragements from their love ones.
In conclusion, effective law and order requires effective punishments. However, punishments should be justifiable so that it does not become torture. If punishments no longer proves to be useful on someone, its time to use something “soft” on him.
Sunday, May 27, 2007
Friday, May 18, 2007
Google Gooses Big Media
I agree with the author that big media (computer form of media) will soon overtake other forms of media in time to come. Movies, music and TV shows, have their value, but they alone have never generated the huge, reliable profits that keep investors happy and pay for midtown-Manhattan skyscrapers. Nowadays, computers are readily available in developing and developed countries. We can get access to information anytime, anywhere we want, unlike television and radios, where we can only get them on specific timeslots.
For small advertisers and publishers, Google’s automated advertising network is a boon: a new, cost-effective way to connect with one another and with customers. But big media companies had already established connections before Google came along, and so far the amounts of money Google offers content producers are paltry compared with what gets thrown around in traditional media.
However, for the time being, computer media is a media firm that produces no content as stated in the article, thus it might not be a good form of source of information after all.
For small advertisers and publishers, Google’s automated advertising network is a boon: a new, cost-effective way to connect with one another and with customers. But big media companies had already established connections before Google came along, and so far the amounts of money Google offers content producers are paltry compared with what gets thrown around in traditional media.
However, for the time being, computer media is a media firm that produces no content as stated in the article, thus it might not be a good form of source of information after all.
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Big Chain Restaurants' New Small Portions
The basic laws of restaurant economics state that meals keep getting bigger because food is cheap and fixed overhead--staff, rent, equipment--is the same no matter how much is piled on your plate. So giant servings are a win-win: you pay a little extra for a lot more food, and the restaurant makes extra profit. Thus it is surprising that a restaurant, Ruby Tuesday, tried to position itself as the healthy chain restaurant by cutting back on serving sizes and printing nutritional info on its menus in 2004. However their customers did not welcome this plan, they hated the smaller portion foods so much that the plan was dropped within five months.
Well, who would like to have a smaller portion of food when ordering the bigger portioned one is just a few bucks more? People nowadays do not care much on keeping a healthy diet. Not even the restaurant’s plan of having a smaller portion for health sake appealed to them. Maybe it is because the benefits of having a smaller diet were not brought across widely, as mentioned in the article. Restaurants can try to educate the public about the importance of a healthy and smaller diet. Also, introducing more incentives would also attract people to buy smaller portions. Examples like cutting the prices or giving a free drink.
Well, who would like to have a smaller portion of food when ordering the bigger portioned one is just a few bucks more? People nowadays do not care much on keeping a healthy diet. Not even the restaurant’s plan of having a smaller portion for health sake appealed to them. Maybe it is because the benefits of having a smaller diet were not brought across widely, as mentioned in the article. Restaurants can try to educate the public about the importance of a healthy and smaller diet. Also, introducing more incentives would also attract people to buy smaller portions. Examples like cutting the prices or giving a free drink.
Saturday, May 5, 2007
Women's Pay: Lagging From the Start
Men have been always known as being the “stronger sex” since the past. However this is proven wrong with as times past by and the world becoming more advance, what men can do, women can also do. Take for example, there are females becoming engineers too.
As the title of the article said, women’s pay had been lagging behind men’s since the very beginning. This is due to discrimination in women that they are not as efficient as men, which is very wrong. Women had proven themselves as they too occupy some of the high-ranking jobs. Other factors includes women having to work shorter hours as they have to take care of their children and the effect of maternity leave on the company.
However, is it really fair that women get lesser pay? Considering the fact that both men and women have the same level of education and are both graduates. I feel that it is really unfair. Since women had proven themselves to be as capable as men, means that they are as efficient. There is really no reason to give them lesser pay.
The article also mentioned the fact that one of the reason women are given lesser pay is that women expect less and negotiate less pay for themselves than to men. Maybe it is not entirely the society’s fault that women’s pay is lesser. However, in the near future, women would then learn negotiation skills right from young. The problem would then be solved.
As the title of the article said, women’s pay had been lagging behind men’s since the very beginning. This is due to discrimination in women that they are not as efficient as men, which is very wrong. Women had proven themselves as they too occupy some of the high-ranking jobs. Other factors includes women having to work shorter hours as they have to take care of their children and the effect of maternity leave on the company.
However, is it really fair that women get lesser pay? Considering the fact that both men and women have the same level of education and are both graduates. I feel that it is really unfair. Since women had proven themselves to be as capable as men, means that they are as efficient. There is really no reason to give them lesser pay.
The article also mentioned the fact that one of the reason women are given lesser pay is that women expect less and negotiate less pay for themselves than to men. Maybe it is not entirely the society’s fault that women’s pay is lesser. However, in the near future, women would then learn negotiation skills right from young. The problem would then be solved.
Sunday, April 29, 2007
Life on the New Planet?
-article taken from http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1614620,00.html
The Earth today is facing a lot of crisis like overpopulation and global warming. No one can ensure that the Earth can provide a safe and comfort planet for us to live in forever. The search for a new planet to live in may sound absurd but it is definitely essential in the far future.
According to the article, the newly discovered planet, 581c, showed signs of live. Like Earth, it orbits a comfortable distance from its sun; like Earth, it maintains a surface temperature somewhere between 32 and 104 degrees Fahrenheit. Most importantly, like Earth, it could easily harbor surface water. In the biological arithmetic we know best, warmth and water often equal life. It is also about 1.5 times larger than Earth.
However, one of the problem found is that 581c is a lot nearer to the sun as compared to the Earth. (The Earth is 92.9 million miles away from the sun while 581c is just 7 millions miles away). Traveling there also becomes a problem as we took 8 months to travel to Mars, which is about 35 millions miles away. How long will it take to travel to 581 c, which is 120 trillion miles away? Thus, this planet might not be suitable to live in after all.
Do not be surprise if you would to find your future generation living on other planets. Earth simply just cannot last forever. With scientists and astronomers working on finding a suitable planet to live in, it is definitely possible.
The Earth today is facing a lot of crisis like overpopulation and global warming. No one can ensure that the Earth can provide a safe and comfort planet for us to live in forever. The search for a new planet to live in may sound absurd but it is definitely essential in the far future.
According to the article, the newly discovered planet, 581c, showed signs of live. Like Earth, it orbits a comfortable distance from its sun; like Earth, it maintains a surface temperature somewhere between 32 and 104 degrees Fahrenheit. Most importantly, like Earth, it could easily harbor surface water. In the biological arithmetic we know best, warmth and water often equal life. It is also about 1.5 times larger than Earth.
However, one of the problem found is that 581c is a lot nearer to the sun as compared to the Earth. (The Earth is 92.9 million miles away from the sun while 581c is just 7 millions miles away). Traveling there also becomes a problem as we took 8 months to travel to Mars, which is about 35 millions miles away. How long will it take to travel to 581 c, which is 120 trillion miles away? Thus, this planet might not be suitable to live in after all.
Do not be surprise if you would to find your future generation living on other planets. Earth simply just cannot last forever. With scientists and astronomers working on finding a suitable planet to live in, it is definitely possible.
Sunday, April 22, 2007
Is the use of torture ever justified in dealing with criminals and terrorists?
I strongly believe that torture is justifiable to those criminals who committed hideous crimes and terrorists. In the first place, it is those criminals fault to have committed crimes or endangered peoples’ lives. I feel that they deserve the torture if they do not confess to their crimes or provide information that could save lives. As mentioned in the first article, some may feel about the terrorists’ treatment, but when they think of 9/11, of the awful carnage, their screams may start sound like justice. Harsh treatments are not illegal and are often effective as said by Bush. Thus, torture is one of the most effective ways to get useful information from stubborn criminals.
However, there is also a limit to torture. Torture is only acceptable in some circumstances as raised in the second article. Mr Faris, former chairman of the National Crime Authority, said that torture is only acceptable in criminal investigations that implicate lives. An example would be when a criminal hides a tied-up hostage, who has no ability to move, in an enclosed area, endangering his or her live. When he refused to say that person’s whereabouts, torture can be used to force the criminal to confess, as this will implicate a person’s live and death. I feel that it’s definitely not against human rights to torture a person that endanger the live of another person, as it will save some one’s live.
Nevertheless, torture should be stopped if proven ineffective on certain criminals. As mentioned in the second article, if a criminal doesn’t say anything after his fingernails had been pulled out, this would mean that no amount of torture would work on him. Torture should stop and not go to the extent of hurting innocents like the criminal’s loved ones to emotionally torture him. I feel that this is then violating human rights.
In conclusion, torture is only justifiable when police is certain that that criminal has information about other serious crime or that criminal happens to endanger other peoples’ lives by not giving the whereabouts of those people to the police.
However, there is also a limit to torture. Torture is only acceptable in some circumstances as raised in the second article. Mr Faris, former chairman of the National Crime Authority, said that torture is only acceptable in criminal investigations that implicate lives. An example would be when a criminal hides a tied-up hostage, who has no ability to move, in an enclosed area, endangering his or her live. When he refused to say that person’s whereabouts, torture can be used to force the criminal to confess, as this will implicate a person’s live and death. I feel that it’s definitely not against human rights to torture a person that endanger the live of another person, as it will save some one’s live.
Nevertheless, torture should be stopped if proven ineffective on certain criminals. As mentioned in the second article, if a criminal doesn’t say anything after his fingernails had been pulled out, this would mean that no amount of torture would work on him. Torture should stop and not go to the extent of hurting innocents like the criminal’s loved ones to emotionally torture him. I feel that this is then violating human rights.
In conclusion, torture is only justifiable when police is certain that that criminal has information about other serious crime or that criminal happens to endanger other peoples’ lives by not giving the whereabouts of those people to the police.
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
New Media – Power to the people or threat to stability?
I agree that new media can be a threat to stability. New media provides much information for the people. While some might be useful, some might be a threat to stability to the country or even the entire human communities. Take for example, the terrorists may use the new media to brainwash the people’s mind to influence them to join terrorist activities. Since more satellite dishes are now available, the terrorists can now easily deliver extremists’ ideas to the people and manipulate their minds. This would then threaten the stability of the country if there were people who are successfully manipulated and are carrying out terrorist activities.
The new media can also be harmful to the society when people express extremist views on certain issues like racisms or posting illegal information or images. These may lead to discontentment in the affected group of people and they might start do the same things to those who hurt them. When this viscous cycle continues, the new media would then become a portal for people to quarrel and argue. In worst-case scenarios, riots might even break out.
Although new media can bring harm to the society, it has also brought power to the people. People all over the world have discovered profitable ways to incorporate blogging in their personal and business lives. For example, in Africa, the Mail and the Guardian hosted a blog for all politicians in recent local elections. This resulted in many comments and helped to encourage debate. Through this way, people are then engaged actively in the politics of their country. They can now express their views about the country and the governement have to response to them.
In conclusion, I agree to a large extent that new media has brought more of a threat to the stablility of people as the consequeses caused by it is simply too serious.
The new media can also be harmful to the society when people express extremist views on certain issues like racisms or posting illegal information or images. These may lead to discontentment in the affected group of people and they might start do the same things to those who hurt them. When this viscous cycle continues, the new media would then become a portal for people to quarrel and argue. In worst-case scenarios, riots might even break out.
Although new media can bring harm to the society, it has also brought power to the people. People all over the world have discovered profitable ways to incorporate blogging in their personal and business lives. For example, in Africa, the Mail and the Guardian hosted a blog for all politicians in recent local elections. This resulted in many comments and helped to encourage debate. Through this way, people are then engaged actively in the politics of their country. They can now express their views about the country and the governement have to response to them.
In conclusion, I agree to a large extent that new media has brought more of a threat to the stablility of people as the consequeses caused by it is simply too serious.
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