3) The reading and review of one academic magazine (whole magazine) (eg: National Geographic, Time, Reader's Digest, Present Perfect...) - Look at the visuals accompanying the articles and describe their purposes. [PRESENT PERFECT - ISSUE 7]
The visuals accompanying the articles are to enhance the meaning of the articles. The title of Issue 7 of Present Perfect is named "The Women Issue" which talks about the rights of women. Hence, most of the visuals in the magazine are drawings of women. This can further enhance the fact that women's rights are still not as equal as men, or the fact that most women in the world still do not have their own rights. The visuals also add more color to the magazine instead of the plain old boring words. Without visuals, there would only be words which would look dull. Lastly, the purpose is plainly to highlight to the readers what the article is about and readers would be able to understand the articles better with visuals that can tell stories.
Thursday, December 20, 2012
Friday, December 14, 2012
Reading and Writing Tasks (2)
2) The reading and review of one entertainment magazine (whole magazine) (eg: 8 Days, Teenage, 17 ...) - Look at the titles on the articles and explain what the intended effects on they have on the target audience.
[SEVENTEEN]
The titles of the articles are very short and give little information about the articles. However the words make the target audience feel curious about the articles and makes them want to read the magazine. As a result, they would buy the magazine to read the contents. In the "SEVENTEEN" December issue I'm reading, the cover page writes "Get Star Power" with "beauty secrets", "dress like top TV babes" and "celeb recipes". This would attract the attention of young teenage girls who'd like to be like their Hollywood idols. Secondly, on the cover magazine is a band named "One Direction". Therefore, fans of One Direction would buy the magazine to find out "who's the killer flirt & their confessions about those juicy rumors". Lastly inside the magazine, the titles such as "yummy food secrets from the stars", "beauty secrets of young hollywood" would make people interested in such sections stop flipping the page and read the contents.The font size is larger than rest of the text such that it catches attention of the reader. The color contrasts the titles from the background so that it stands out. Overall the magazine gives off a teenage feeling which makes teenagers stop by to look at the magazine.
[SEVENTEEN]
The titles of the articles are very short and give little information about the articles. However the words make the target audience feel curious about the articles and makes them want to read the magazine. As a result, they would buy the magazine to read the contents. In the "SEVENTEEN" December issue I'm reading, the cover page writes "Get Star Power" with "beauty secrets", "dress like top TV babes" and "celeb recipes". This would attract the attention of young teenage girls who'd like to be like their Hollywood idols. Secondly, on the cover magazine is a band named "One Direction". Therefore, fans of One Direction would buy the magazine to find out "who's the killer flirt & their confessions about those juicy rumors". Lastly inside the magazine, the titles such as "yummy food secrets from the stars", "beauty secrets of young hollywood" would make people interested in such sections stop flipping the page and read the contents.The font size is larger than rest of the text such that it catches attention of the reader. The color contrasts the titles from the background so that it stands out. Overall the magazine gives off a teenage feeling which makes teenagers stop by to look at the magazine.
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Reading and Writing Tasks (1)
1) The reading and review of one novel (fiction) + Identify its target audience and whom you would recommend it to. (The Hunger Games: Catching Fire)
Catching Fire is the second part of the trilogy of the Hunger Games. The story of Katniss continues, where after she survived the her first Hunger Games, she faces the anger of Panem. After she pulled out the deadly berries in the arena. Encouraged by her supposed act of rebellion, several districts are now in rebellion. In order to suppress the rebellions, the 75th Hunger Games states that tributes will be pulled from the districts' remaining victors. As the last female victor of District 12, Katniss has to face the horrors of the arena a second time. However this time she enters the arena to save the life of her partner tribute, Peeta. Her life takes on a new twist of dangers as she faces the horrors of the ticking arena, each second ticking away her life. Catching Fire has an exciting plot that takes unexpected twists which would make suitable books for teenagers. The plot is well planned and the words are chosen to describe the exact feeling of danger, death and rebellion. Hence, it would be a great book to spend the afternoon reading.
Catching Fire is the second part of the trilogy of the Hunger Games. The story of Katniss continues, where after she survived the her first Hunger Games, she faces the anger of Panem. After she pulled out the deadly berries in the arena. Encouraged by her supposed act of rebellion, several districts are now in rebellion. In order to suppress the rebellions, the 75th Hunger Games states that tributes will be pulled from the districts' remaining victors. As the last female victor of District 12, Katniss has to face the horrors of the arena a second time. However this time she enters the arena to save the life of her partner tribute, Peeta. Her life takes on a new twist of dangers as she faces the horrors of the ticking arena, each second ticking away her life. Catching Fire has an exciting plot that takes unexpected twists which would make suitable books for teenagers. The plot is well planned and the words are chosen to describe the exact feeling of danger, death and rebellion. Hence, it would be a great book to spend the afternoon reading.
Sunday, December 9, 2012
Viewing and Listening Tasks (3)
3) Listen to 5 installments of "BBC World News" (either radio or online) and do a summary of what you heard / learnt.
1. BBC News - 26 Nov - Smoking damages memory, says King's College study
Students at King's College were carrying out tests to understand the links between the likelihood of a heart attack or stroke with people smoking. They looked at over 9000 people above the age of 50. When they finally carried memory and planning tests and mental ability on these people, the results show that the overall risk of a heart attack or stroke was "significantly associated with cognitive decline". Which meant that smoking not only increases the risk of one getting a heart attack or a stroke, it is also harmful to one's memory and cognitive skills. High blood pressure and overweight however affected the brain to a lesser extent. From this, one can surely tell that smoking is harmful hazard to one's body. It increases one's risk of lung cancer, a heart attack or a stroke, which is not a very healthy lifestyle. Now that it is proven to decrease one's memory and learning ability, it only adds to the list of bad things smokes have to offer. In my opinion, smoking should be banned. Around 5 million people die due to tobacco each year, so one can see the very detrimental effects of smoking. Although it brings in huge amounts of profits, but the money is made from ruining people's health.
2. BBC News - 27 Dec - 2012: 'Year of the touch screen'
Ipads, Iphones, tablets and many more smartphones dominate today's technology market. Today, there are many kinds of apps on the Android and Apple market, which are the two technology giants right now. With Android and its app store, it attracts many youngsters to purchase their products. However, Apple is also very alluring with its IOS systems and many apps for it. Technology is available everywhere nowadays, and not just a nerdy thing. The development of the technology market has opened many ideas for technology uses, and how things could work using technology in a way that no one has ever thought before. I think that the development of the technology could continue to see more improvements in the daily technology we are using. And I've learnt that people should think big, dream big and make dreams happen. Apple products used to be just a competing brand with Windows but now it is iphones and ipads everywhere. This shows that dreams can come true if one is determined to work hard and is not afraid to work in a way different from others.
3. BBC News - 28 Dec - Japan: Whaling is 'justifiable research'
Hunting whales are condemned by many international organisations but Japan's new government is defending themselves by saying that whaling is for conducting "whale research in accordance with the Whaling Convention Treaty in order to gain scientific understanding". According to Japan, their whaling acts and killing hundreds of whales annually is "justifiable". I think that Japan can cut down on the amount of whales they hunt each year, or they could come up with a way to do their research without having to actually kill the whale. I think that the Japan authorities can actually do more to protect these last whales in the wild as whales are on the verge of extinction. If they continue hunting the whales at these rates, there will come one day when whales will disappear from the face of the earth and go into extinction. Hence, to protect all these lovely animals, Japan should try to reduce the amount of whales they kill for 'justifiable' research.
4. BBC News - 29 Dec - Eye gouge victim Tina Nash 'looking forward to life'
Tina Nash could no longer see anything after her boyfriend Shane Jenkin gouged out her eyes. She could no longer see her hands, her feet, or her children. At first, she felt like a ghost without any eyes. But later she had reconstructive surgery to implant prosthetic eyes. Although she still couldn't see, this boosted her confidence a lot and now she actually looks forward to what life has in store for her. Her two sons are very proud of her and having such a mom. The people around her said that she has overcome many obstacles in her way and now she is an independent mother who is capable of taking care of her two children, even though she was robbed of her sight. I think that she is a brave person. She got past her sad period and tried to make her life better for her and her children. She does not stop at the time where her eyes were robbed, but moves on with her life and continues with her life without blaming anyone that her eyes were taken away. She is helping to raise awareness on domestic violence to stop people from being treated the same way she was. I find her way of standing up again very courageous.
5. BBC News - 29 Dec - Indian High Commissioner on rape death
A female student was gang-raped by a bunch of guys on a bus. Beside gang-raping her, they hit her, causing severe injury to her brain which caused many of her major organs to malfunction. She died in the Singapore Mount Elizabeth Hospital, despite "receiving the best care she could receive". The Indian High Commissioner, along with many other Indian officials sends their condolences to the girl's family. This gang-rape incident also brought on many protesters protesting against the government for the lack of female rights in India. The protests turned violent and left a police officer dead. I think that the culprits behind this - the rapists - should be put to death. They have shown a disrespect for women rights, and did not respect women in the way they should. They made things worst by beating her up and giving her brain injuries. Indirectly, they might have caused her death. Those rapists who give in to a moment of lust are despicable.
1. BBC News - 26 Nov - Smoking damages memory, says King's College study
Students at King's College were carrying out tests to understand the links between the likelihood of a heart attack or stroke with people smoking. They looked at over 9000 people above the age of 50. When they finally carried memory and planning tests and mental ability on these people, the results show that the overall risk of a heart attack or stroke was "significantly associated with cognitive decline". Which meant that smoking not only increases the risk of one getting a heart attack or a stroke, it is also harmful to one's memory and cognitive skills. High blood pressure and overweight however affected the brain to a lesser extent. From this, one can surely tell that smoking is harmful hazard to one's body. It increases one's risk of lung cancer, a heart attack or a stroke, which is not a very healthy lifestyle. Now that it is proven to decrease one's memory and learning ability, it only adds to the list of bad things smokes have to offer. In my opinion, smoking should be banned. Around 5 million people die due to tobacco each year, so one can see the very detrimental effects of smoking. Although it brings in huge amounts of profits, but the money is made from ruining people's health.
2. BBC News - 27 Dec - 2012: 'Year of the touch screen'
Ipads, Iphones, tablets and many more smartphones dominate today's technology market. Today, there are many kinds of apps on the Android and Apple market, which are the two technology giants right now. With Android and its app store, it attracts many youngsters to purchase their products. However, Apple is also very alluring with its IOS systems and many apps for it. Technology is available everywhere nowadays, and not just a nerdy thing. The development of the technology market has opened many ideas for technology uses, and how things could work using technology in a way that no one has ever thought before. I think that the development of the technology could continue to see more improvements in the daily technology we are using. And I've learnt that people should think big, dream big and make dreams happen. Apple products used to be just a competing brand with Windows but now it is iphones and ipads everywhere. This shows that dreams can come true if one is determined to work hard and is not afraid to work in a way different from others.
3. BBC News - 28 Dec - Japan: Whaling is 'justifiable research'
Hunting whales are condemned by many international organisations but Japan's new government is defending themselves by saying that whaling is for conducting "whale research in accordance with the Whaling Convention Treaty in order to gain scientific understanding". According to Japan, their whaling acts and killing hundreds of whales annually is "justifiable". I think that Japan can cut down on the amount of whales they hunt each year, or they could come up with a way to do their research without having to actually kill the whale. I think that the Japan authorities can actually do more to protect these last whales in the wild as whales are on the verge of extinction. If they continue hunting the whales at these rates, there will come one day when whales will disappear from the face of the earth and go into extinction. Hence, to protect all these lovely animals, Japan should try to reduce the amount of whales they kill for 'justifiable' research.
4. BBC News - 29 Dec - Eye gouge victim Tina Nash 'looking forward to life'
Tina Nash could no longer see anything after her boyfriend Shane Jenkin gouged out her eyes. She could no longer see her hands, her feet, or her children. At first, she felt like a ghost without any eyes. But later she had reconstructive surgery to implant prosthetic eyes. Although she still couldn't see, this boosted her confidence a lot and now she actually looks forward to what life has in store for her. Her two sons are very proud of her and having such a mom. The people around her said that she has overcome many obstacles in her way and now she is an independent mother who is capable of taking care of her two children, even though she was robbed of her sight. I think that she is a brave person. She got past her sad period and tried to make her life better for her and her children. She does not stop at the time where her eyes were robbed, but moves on with her life and continues with her life without blaming anyone that her eyes were taken away. She is helping to raise awareness on domestic violence to stop people from being treated the same way she was. I find her way of standing up again very courageous.
5. BBC News - 29 Dec - Indian High Commissioner on rape death
A female student was gang-raped by a bunch of guys on a bus. Beside gang-raping her, they hit her, causing severe injury to her brain which caused many of her major organs to malfunction. She died in the Singapore Mount Elizabeth Hospital, despite "receiving the best care she could receive". The Indian High Commissioner, along with many other Indian officials sends their condolences to the girl's family. This gang-rape incident also brought on many protesters protesting against the government for the lack of female rights in India. The protests turned violent and left a police officer dead. I think that the culprits behind this - the rapists - should be put to death. They have shown a disrespect for women rights, and did not respect women in the way they should. They made things worst by beating her up and giving her brain injuries. Indirectly, they might have caused her death. Those rapists who give in to a moment of lust are despicable.
Thursday, December 6, 2012
Viewing and Listening Tasks (2)
2) Watch 5 news clips (eg: from either Channel 5 News, CNA News, BBC News) and do a summary of what you have seen / learnt.
1. ChannelNewsAsia - 29 Nov - 4 SMRT bus drivers charged with instigating illegal strikes
2. ChannelNewsAsia - 1 Dec - Youths concerned about housing and education
About 100 youths gathered together to discuss about the topics of their future in Singapore. Some key topics were about the education system in Singapore, where they wanted more attempts to 'bridge the divide between elite schools and non-elite schools'. Other topics included the rapidly increasing prices of housing where some of them were worried that they could not afford the price of a house in future. This sparked an idea to establish a Youth Parliament to nurture the future generations of Singapore. From all of this, I indeed agree that more should be done to bridge the gap between the two types of schools. This would ensure in a fairer education system where the a child is either in a very good school or a normal school. People can see that non-elite schools have their own talents who might not have students who are academically-inclined but talented in other areas. Also, the housing problem is a rising issue of concerns among the young generation. In this case, I think that only the government can take measures to bring down the inflating rate of housing prices. No doubt they have taken many attempts at bringing down the prices, but investors are bringing up the prices quickly.
3. ChannelNewsAsia - 1 Dec - World's oldest marathoner to compete in Singapore's marathon
101 year-old Fauja Singh is competing in Standard Chartered's 10 km marathon in Singapore. To some elderly, walking is a problem but he is still going to take part in the marathon as the world's oldest marathoner. He was an amateur runner in Punjab in his youth, and only started taking marathons seriously at the age of 89. And he has completed 9 full marathons in the elderly stage of his life, holds the world record for marathoners over 90. I find his passion to run very inspiring where he does not stop running when his age poses an obstacle to him. Even though he started running at an old age, he does not let age restrict him and continues running without caring about the age restrictions. By doing so, he is telling people not to stop pursuing their goals or passion even when there are many obstacles. He is very old, but he has shown that age is not an restriction to achieve what we want to do.
4. BBC News - 27 Dec - Ninety people die in Ukraine as temperatures plummet
Temperatures are plummeting as low as -20 degrees Celsius in Ukraine with very low temperature and piles of snow. Many homeless Ukrainians have little clothing for them to protect against the cold, and official numbers coming in are reporting over 90 dead due to the severe cold. The government is setting up temporary shelters in many parts of Ukraine, where people can go there for some heat and a cup of warm tea. However many said that the shelters are located in the outskirts of the main cities, or unable to be located by people. One even said that she had to take a bus to reach the shelters and since they are homeless, they would have no money to pay for the bus fares. I think the government should do something about this as the weather forecast states that it is only going to get a little warmer in January. The government can locate the temporary shelters closer to places where they find more homeless people, or let everyone know all the locations of the temporary shelters. They can also send out volunteers to help those homeless people or just give out more coats to let them protect themselves against the cold.
5. BBC News - 27 Dec - Gracie McNulty feeds homeless at Christmas in memory of dad
10 year old young Gracie who lost her father August this year to an accident is not grieving for her father, but doing what her father would want to happen this Christmas. She opened her family's cafe on Christmas to homeless people to provide them with food and gave them a Christmas dinner. With the help of her family, 36 men and women had a filling Christmas day dinner. She followed in her father's footsteps, who often gave up his time to doing charity work. She wants to continue doing this on every Christmas, to open their doors to the homeless. I think that her father set a good example for her. By donating all his time to doing charity work, he was showing her how to be compassionate to people. And even when he is gone, his daughter continued to do what he wanted to do. Instead of being sad that her dad is gone, she looks forward in life and finishes what he wanted to do. She had actually thought it was impossible, but she was determined to do it for her dad and she actually fed 36 people. I feel that this is very mature for a 10 year old, who has to deal with the loss of her father, and pick herself up and continue with her life.
1. ChannelNewsAsia - 29 Nov - 4 SMRT bus drivers charged with instigating illegal strikes
4 foreign Chinese bus drivers are being charged for instigating strikes among their fellow colleagues. They were reported discussing about the strike on 25 or 26 of November, just a few days after their pay day. The strikes took place with some bus drivers not reporting for work. From this, I have learnt that workers have to let their employers know of their grievances through legal means. In order to do so, employers have to establish a system so that they would be able to know what the employees are feeling. Strikes are an extreme method to go to just to let the employers address their complaints. Hence, employers can elect a employee to represent the majority so that employers know the reasons behind the strikes and can prevent more strikes. However, I feel that the most important thing is that employers have to know to respect that the employees are humans, and they have their own limits and capabilities.
2. ChannelNewsAsia - 1 Dec - Youths concerned about housing and education
About 100 youths gathered together to discuss about the topics of their future in Singapore. Some key topics were about the education system in Singapore, where they wanted more attempts to 'bridge the divide between elite schools and non-elite schools'. Other topics included the rapidly increasing prices of housing where some of them were worried that they could not afford the price of a house in future. This sparked an idea to establish a Youth Parliament to nurture the future generations of Singapore. From all of this, I indeed agree that more should be done to bridge the gap between the two types of schools. This would ensure in a fairer education system where the a child is either in a very good school or a normal school. People can see that non-elite schools have their own talents who might not have students who are academically-inclined but talented in other areas. Also, the housing problem is a rising issue of concerns among the young generation. In this case, I think that only the government can take measures to bring down the inflating rate of housing prices. No doubt they have taken many attempts at bringing down the prices, but investors are bringing up the prices quickly.
3. ChannelNewsAsia - 1 Dec - World's oldest marathoner to compete in Singapore's marathon
101 year-old Fauja Singh is competing in Standard Chartered's 10 km marathon in Singapore. To some elderly, walking is a problem but he is still going to take part in the marathon as the world's oldest marathoner. He was an amateur runner in Punjab in his youth, and only started taking marathons seriously at the age of 89. And he has completed 9 full marathons in the elderly stage of his life, holds the world record for marathoners over 90. I find his passion to run very inspiring where he does not stop running when his age poses an obstacle to him. Even though he started running at an old age, he does not let age restrict him and continues running without caring about the age restrictions. By doing so, he is telling people not to stop pursuing their goals or passion even when there are many obstacles. He is very old, but he has shown that age is not an restriction to achieve what we want to do.
4. BBC News - 27 Dec - Ninety people die in Ukraine as temperatures plummet
Temperatures are plummeting as low as -20 degrees Celsius in Ukraine with very low temperature and piles of snow. Many homeless Ukrainians have little clothing for them to protect against the cold, and official numbers coming in are reporting over 90 dead due to the severe cold. The government is setting up temporary shelters in many parts of Ukraine, where people can go there for some heat and a cup of warm tea. However many said that the shelters are located in the outskirts of the main cities, or unable to be located by people. One even said that she had to take a bus to reach the shelters and since they are homeless, they would have no money to pay for the bus fares. I think the government should do something about this as the weather forecast states that it is only going to get a little warmer in January. The government can locate the temporary shelters closer to places where they find more homeless people, or let everyone know all the locations of the temporary shelters. They can also send out volunteers to help those homeless people or just give out more coats to let them protect themselves against the cold.
5. BBC News - 27 Dec - Gracie McNulty feeds homeless at Christmas in memory of dad
10 year old young Gracie who lost her father August this year to an accident is not grieving for her father, but doing what her father would want to happen this Christmas. She opened her family's cafe on Christmas to homeless people to provide them with food and gave them a Christmas dinner. With the help of her family, 36 men and women had a filling Christmas day dinner. She followed in her father's footsteps, who often gave up his time to doing charity work. She wants to continue doing this on every Christmas, to open their doors to the homeless. I think that her father set a good example for her. By donating all his time to doing charity work, he was showing her how to be compassionate to people. And even when he is gone, his daughter continued to do what he wanted to do. Instead of being sad that her dad is gone, she looks forward in life and finishes what he wanted to do. She had actually thought it was impossible, but she was determined to do it for her dad and she actually fed 36 people. I feel that this is very mature for a 10 year old, who has to deal with the loss of her father, and pick herself up and continue with her life.
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
Viewing & Listening Tasks (1)
1) Watch a movie and complete a movie review cum recommendation on it. (A Werewolf Boy)
This Korean movie is basically about a friendship and love story between a girl and a werewolf boy. A girl Kim Suni, who shuts herself away, moves with her family to a house in the countryside due to problems with her lungs. One night, she hears mysterious wolf howls and discovers a "wolf boy". The family takes him in and she trains him to wait patiently before a meal, to tie his shoelaces, to wear clothes so that one day he could live a normal life as a boy. However his bestial instincts begin to show when threatened hence becoming a subject of fear. Suni leaves him in order to protect him and left with a promise that she would one day come back for him and for him to wait for her. It is a heart-felt romance movie with touching scenes which shows what happens when two people who have communication problems with one another come together. I like this movie as it shows the friendship between two people who is willing to sacrifice themselves for the other. An emotive yet mythical plot, this is the perfect movie for teenagers to enjoy with their friends.
This Korean movie is basically about a friendship and love story between a girl and a werewolf boy. A girl Kim Suni, who shuts herself away, moves with her family to a house in the countryside due to problems with her lungs. One night, she hears mysterious wolf howls and discovers a "wolf boy". The family takes him in and she trains him to wait patiently before a meal, to tie his shoelaces, to wear clothes so that one day he could live a normal life as a boy. However his bestial instincts begin to show when threatened hence becoming a subject of fear. Suni leaves him in order to protect him and left with a promise that she would one day come back for him and for him to wait for her. It is a heart-felt romance movie with touching scenes which shows what happens when two people who have communication problems with one another come together. I like this movie as it shows the friendship between two people who is willing to sacrifice themselves for the other. An emotive yet mythical plot, this is the perfect movie for teenagers to enjoy with their friends.
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