T3 Blog Prompt #3

Recent research has shown that optimism is hard-wired into the brain as an evolutionary trait, and allows human beings to function in the face of failure, rejection, and death. (Time, 6 June 2011) How would the world be different if human beings were not inherently optimistic? Write in SEE format.

I believe that the world would be different if human beings were not inherently optimistic. Being optimistic brings about many advantages like having higher chance of achieving your goals and also have higher chance of surviving.

Firstly, being optimistic allows you to have higher chance of surviving. Research have shown that optimistic cancer patients have better prognosis and outcome than pessimistic patients. One Canadian study showed heart attack victims who remained upbeat about their future were three times less likely to suffer a second attack within a year. This shows that being optimistic allows you to have a higher chance of surviving as it give you the strength to continue fighting to be able to lead a better life. Thus it shows that the world would be different if human beings were not inherently optimistic.

Secondly, being optimistic lets you have higher chance of achieving your goals. Because you are optimistic, when you met with several setbacks, you would not give up but continue striving towards your goal. And also because you are optimistic, you would aim for higher goals, believing that you can make it and so it would push you to work harder to achieve your goals. An example was Thomas Edison, a well known inventor who is known for his positive attitude towards life. Although he did not succeed after many tries, he remained optimistic and finally managed to invent many great inventions like the phonograph and light bulb. Hence this shows that being optimistic lets you have higher change of achieving your goals and also shows that the world would be different if human beings were not inherently optimistic.

In conclusion, I feel that it is very important to remain optimistic as it allows you to have higher chance of surviving and also higher chance of achieving your goals. Without optimism, the world would be different as many people does not have a positive attitude towards live and there would not be much progress in the world.

T3 Blog Prompt #2

I finally managed to display all my items for my garage sale as I wanted to clear all my junk items while at the same time earning some money but I waited for about an hour and I still did not have any business and then suddenly a man appeared and asked for the price of my vase and without any hesitations I replied that it cost twenty dollars but he looked at me strangely and asked if I could sell it for ten dollars and immediately I rejected his offer saying that it was too less but then a cat came out from the bushes and hit the vase down from the table causing it to shatter into a few pieces and he giggled and offered me a dollar for it and after that he asked for the price of the table lamp and I replied that it cost ten dollars but he said that he was only willing to pay five dollars for it and immediately I rejected his offer but suddenly a dog which was chasing the cat appeared from bushes and hit the grandfather clock causing it to fall and become damaged and he said he would pay two dollars for it and after giving me the money he said he would pay thirty dollars for the rest of the items and this time I immediately sold them to him before anything else could happen.

T3 Blog Prompt #1

Over the weekend, New York become the 6th state in the US to legalize same-sex marriage. Do you think that same-sex marriage will ever become legal in Singapore?

I think same-sex marriage will not become legal in Singapore. The government is against same-sex marriage and have strict laws to prevent such things from happening. This can be supported by " Same-sex marriages are not allowed in Singapore and determined by the National Registration Act of which the gender the person is born. Should the sex be changed at later stages, if the new sex is different from the partner, it is allowed by petition of court for Civil Marriages.
Section 377A of the Penal Code of Singapore is the main remaining piece of legislation which criminalises sex between mutually consenting adult men. Section 377A ("Outrages on decency") states that: Any male person who, in public or private, commits, or abets the commission of, or procures or attempts to procure the commission by any male person of, any act of gross indecency with another male person, shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to 2 years." This shows that same-sex marriage is not allowed in Singapore and will not become legal in Singapore.

Also, I think that same-sex marriage will not become legal in Singapore as many people and also PM Lee are against it. This can be supported by "Opponents of the repeal of Section 377A based their arguments on the conviction that to decriminalise homosexuality would result in a breakdown of the family unit, compromise Singapore's position on procreation, and lead to future undesirable scenarios such as the approval of bestiality and paedophila. Prime Minister (PM) Lee Hsien Loong was both cautionary and hopeful in his speech to the Singapore parliament. He argued that repealing Article 377A would not give gay rights activists the space and full acceptance they wanted because the majority of Singaporeans “strenuously oppose same sex marriage and parenting and granting [homosexuals the] same rights as heterosexual men and women.” He added, “Even people who are not anti-gay will oppose these moves.” Mr. Lee’s advice was not to force the issue. He insisted, “By repealing 377A we will polarize the nation... the more gay activists push their agenda the stronger will be the pushback from conservative forces in Singapore…. On moral values with consequences for wider society, we must be careful about radical departures from social norms and not be carried away by what other societies do.... We must not allow activists to champion gay rights like they do in the West.” This shows that many people oppose same-sex marriage and hence I think that same-sex marriage will not become legal in Singapore.

In addition, the government greatly disadvantages same-sex couples hence it would discourage them from being together. This can be supported " Legal and immigration rights are not awarded to binational couples, where one partner is a Singaporean or Singaporean permanent resident. Dependent visas, which are usually issued for heterosexual spouses, are not available for same-sex couples. Tax rights, wills, and spousal insurance benefits do not include LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) couples. There is no recognition of same-sex couples in most areas of concern such as hospital visitation and Central Provident Fund benefits. Same sex couples in Singapore, whether citizens or foreigners, currently have no possibility of owning their own homes through the public housing scheme, and many rent as they are unable to afford private housing. Same-sex partners - both must be above 35 and Singapore Citizens - can purchase a flat under the Joint Singles Scheme." Hence, I can see that the government is trying to prevent same-sex couples by giving them disincentives and hence would not allow same-sex marriage in Singapore.

Recently, New York became the 6th state in the US to legalize same-sex marriage. In the United States, same-sex marriages are not recognized federally, though same-sex couples can marry in six states and one district. Same-sex marriage is legally recognized nationwide in Argentina, Belgium, Canada, Iceland, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, and Sweden. In Mexico, same-sex marriages are only performed in Mexico City, but these marriages are recognized by all Mexican states.Israel does not recognize same-sex marriages performed on its territory, but recognizes same-sex marriages performed in foreign jurisdictions. Soon, more countries would follow and eventually the whole world would allow same-sex marriage. This would make more people think that same-sex marriage is fine, and there would be more gays and lesbians, and would lead to more problems.

As allowing same-sex marriage would lead to many problems ,I hope that the government will not allow same-sex marriage.

Home-Based Learning Task 2

America did not foresee
Green, pink, purple and other colors death potpourri!
Expecting others to pay a high price.
Now thinking twice?
Toll on the innocent and unborn.

Omnipotent and disregarding who will mourn.
Reflective about all the illness, birth defects and prematurely dead.
All the deceit continues to spread.
Nefariously America led astray -
Generations untold WILL pay -
Execrable effects of agent orange spray!

1. Whose Point of View
Statement: The poet wrote in the point of view of a war veteran.
Evidence: Hubert Wilson was a Vietnam War veteran who served in the USAF Security Service
Elaboration: As Hubert Wilson was a Vietnam War veteran, he would have experienced it and would reflect upon the war and the consequences of using Agent Orange.

2. Situation and Setting
Statement: The situation is that Agent Orange caused many casualties and the setting is Vietnam, during the Vietnam War.
Evidence: "Vietnam estimates 400,000 people being killed or maimed, and 500,000 children born with birth defects." and "Toll on the innocent and unborn"
Elaboration: Agent Orange have many harmful effects to the body and causes many casualties in the Vietnam War.

3. Language/Diction
Statement: The last word in each line rhymes with the last word in the next line.
Evidence: Eg. foresee and potpourri, price and twice, unborn and mourn, dead and spread, astray and pay and spray.
Elaboration: It is to make the poem be more smooth and also emphasize on the words.

4. Personal Response
Statement: I feel that war would always lead to many casualties on both sides and should be avoided. Many innocent civilians would also lose their life in the war.
Evidence: There were many deaths and injuries due to the Vietnam War. Many civilians were also killed during the war.
Elaboration: I feel that war is a tragedy as many soldiers and civilians would lose their lives.

Home-Based Learning Task 1

"Rainbow Death" by Hubert Wilson

America did not foresee
Green, pink, purple and other colors death potpourri!
Expecting others to pay a high price.
Now thinking twice?
Toll on the innocent and unborn.
Omnipotent and disregarding who will mourn.
Reflective about all the illness, birth defects and prematurely dead.
All the deceit continues to spread.
Nefariously America led astray -
Generations untold WILL pay -
Execrable effects of agent orange spray!


Hubert Wilson was a Vietnam War veteran who served in the USAF Security Service. Hubert Wilson and about a dozen intelligence school grads were prepped for about 14 months at Kelly AFB in San Antonio, Texas, before anticipating being sent to Vietnam or elsewhere in southeast Asia in 1970. Half of them ended up in Da Nang (an Agent Orange hotspot) in the 6924th Security Squadron. The rest of them were assigned to Shemya Island, Alaska, with the 6984th Security Squadron, and what eventually was a more contaminated environment than Da Nang.
His health problems started approximately 15 years ago with unexplained headaches and limb pains. Four years ago, his central nervous system radically deteriorated with Parkinsonian type tremors, severe headaches, progressive limb pains, etc. No physician has ever diagnosed the specific illness. His guess is the heavily contaminated drinking water at Shemya during his year there as an intelligence analyst. Organo-phosphate toxins may not run their toxic course until 20 to 30 years after initial exposure.

This small poem speaks of a modern day ingredient of warfare that has caused appalling death and suffering – not only to its intended victims, the Vietnamese people, but also the service personnel that used or even just came into contact with “Agent Orange”.
Agent Orange is the code name for a herbicide and defoliant—contaminated with TCDD—used by the U.S. military in its Herbicidal Warfare program during the Vietnam War.
According to Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 4.8 million Vietnamese people were exposed to Agent Orange, resulting in 400,000 deaths and disabilities, and 500,000 children born with birth defects.

During the Vietnam War, between 1962 and 1971, the United States military sprayed 20,000,000 US gallons (80,000,000 L) of chemical herbicides and defoliants in Vietnam, eastern Laos and parts of Cambodia, as part of Operation Ranch Hand. The program's goal was to defoliate forested and rural land, depriving guerrillas of cover; another goal was to induce forced draft urbanization, destroying the ability of peasants to support themselves in the countryside, and forcing them to flee to the U.S. dominated cities, thus depriving the guerrillas of their rural support base and food supply.

References :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agent_Orange
http://www.warpoetry.co.uk/2010warpoetry.html#Rainbow