Crime

Rape
Rape is a form of assault where an individual forces another to have sexual intercourse against that person’s will. Most experts believe the primary cause of rape is an aggressive desire to dominate the victim rather than an attempt to achieve sexual fulfillment. They consider rape an act of violence rather than principally a sexual encounter.

Rape is generally considered one of the most serious sex crimes and can be very difficult to prosecute. Sexual violence can also be a war crime under international law. Consent may be absent due to duress arising from the use, or threat, of overwhelming force or violence, or because the subject is incapacitated in some way such as intoxication and/or underage innocence. In some cases coercion might also be used to negate consent.

Bullying
Bullying is the tormenting of others through verbal harassment, physical assault, or other more subtle methods of coercion such as manipulation. In colloquial speech, bullying often describes a form of harassment perpetrated by an abuser having more physical and/or social power and dominance than the victim possesses. The victim of bullying is sometimes referred to as a target. The harassment can be verbal, physical and/or emotional.

Bullying can occur in any setting where human beings interact with each other. This includes school, the workplace, home and neighborhoods. Bullying can exist between social groups, social classes and even between countries.

Theft
In the criminal law, theft (also known as stealing) is the illegal taking of another person's property without that person's freely-given consent. As a term, it is used as shorthand for all major crimes against property, encompassing offences such as burglary, embezzlement, larceny, looting, robbery, trespassing, shoplifting, intrusion, fraud (theft by deception) and sometimes criminal conversion. In some jurisdictions, theft is considered to be synonymous with larceny; in others, theft has replaced larceny.

Rape is the worse of the above mentioned and yet, is the number one most unreported crime across the country. Why? Because rape is taboo in every sense. Clearly it is a violation that no one should ever, ever force upon another person, but the taboo has extended beyond the act itself. People are afraid to talk about it. It's even gotten to a point where women feel responsible if they get raped.

After being sexually assaulted, rape victims will experience intense, and sometimes unpredictable, emotions, and they may find it hard to deal with their memories of the event. Victims can be severely traumatized by the assault and may have difficulty functioning as well as they had been used to prior to the assault, with disruption of concentration, sleeping patterns and eating habits, for example. They may feel jumpy or be on edge. In the month immediately following the assault these problems may be severe and very upsetting and may prevent the victim from revealing their ordeal to friends or family, or seeking police or medical assistance. This may result in Acute Stress Disorder. Symptoms of this are:
-feeling numb and detached, like being in a daze or a dream, or feeling that the world is strange and unreal
-difficulty remembering important parts of the assault
-reliving the assault through repeated thoughts, memories, or nightmares
-avoidance of things -places, thoughts, feelings- that remind the victim of the assault
-anxiety or increased arousal (difficulty sleeping, concentrating, etc.)

The survivor may experience shock and disbelief, or feel frozen, and may attempt to disconnect themselves from "the person who was raped". They may feel humiliated, confused, dirty, ashamed, or at fault for the assault, particularly if the assailant was an acquaintance. Extreme nightmares, heightened anxiety, frequent flashbacks, and a strong attempt to disconnect from one's emotions are common, as is denial - trying to convince oneself that the assault did not actually occur. If raped by an acquaintance the victim may try to protect the perpetrator.

Victims may respond to the rape in either an expressive or a controlled way. The expressive way involves obvious outward effects and emotions such as crying, shaking, rage, tenseness, ironic and uncomfortable laughter (part of their denial), and restlessness. The controlled way occurs when the victim appears to be quite calm and rational about the situation, even if facing severe internal turmoil. There is no single response to rape; every individual deals with their intensely traumatic emotions differently.

After the acute phase, the Reorganization Phase begins and the survivor attempts to recreate the world that they once knew. This stage may last for months or even years following the assault and despite their best efforts this phase is often riddled with feelings of guilt, shame, fear, and anxiety. Emotions such as anger, anxiety, denial, and loss (of security) surface. Development of an inability to trust is a frequently consequence of sexual assault. This loss of the fundamental need for security can wreak havoc on the survivor’s life, causing them to feel powerless and not in control of their body. They may feel unsafe, which can cause a heightened state of anxiety as well as difficulty with intimate relationships. Victims may attempt to return to normal social interaction (i.e. go out to social engagements) and find themselves unable to do so and their attempts to re-establish themselves in relationships may be hindered by a lack of trust.
Survivors often isolate themselves from their support network either physically or emotionally. The survivor may feel disconnected from peers as a result of the perceived personal experience. The shattering of trust can adversely affect intimate relationships, as survivors may have a heightened suspicion of others' motives and feelings.
Another area of research referred to as "second victimization," has to do with the caustic and interrogatory way the police and medical staff sometimes treat people who allege rape or sexual assault.
Sexual assault can affect an individual forever, changing them into someone living in a constant state of turmoil.

Now what can be worse than that?

Is Capital Punishment justifiable?

A few years back there was an incident where an Australian man was found to haven been in possession of more than 15 grams of heroin as he entered Singapore. In accordance of Singapore law a person caught in possession of illegal substances is assumed to be trafficking, thus putting the burden of proof on the accused. He was then found guilty and sentenced to death. This issue sparked of much debate to how right was Singapore's decision to put that young Australian to death. I feel that the use of capital punishment as a deterrent to crime has become obsolete, and that we as humans do not have the right to decide whether another person should live or die. Furthermore, people should not be convicted to die because of a moment's folly. everyone should have a right to a second chance.

As we progress as a society, implementation of capital punishment gradually becomes obsolete and even barbaric. Though those pro-capital punishment will argue that instilling the fear of death into the people have proven effective in lowering crime rates. I must stressed the use of past tense here. Indeed, it has worked well these years however we must not forget that progress does not only affect the good parts of our lives. Progress also means advances for in the ways crimes are committed as well as the new ideologies as well as the introduction of organized crime. Criminals are no longer afraid of death. Just take a look at the increasing numbers of suicide bombers, they certainly are not afraid of death. In addition the profit for each shipment of smuggled drugs or the payoff for each time they break the law is more than worth the risk. And even if criminals were afraid of death, they all know now that so long as they do not get caught or cannot be proven guilty they are perfectly fine. Proving my point that the use of capital punishment as a deterrent is no longer effective.

There is a misconception that prison inmates are a bane to society draining away precious taxpayers money for their upkeep. Hence, the misguided thought that giving a criminal the life sentence in prison is a utter waste of resources. Here i must inform those misled that prison serves as a parallel society to our own. The only difference obviously is the space constraint in th prisons, Everything else functions just as a normal town would. Prison inmates are actually put through training programmes where they can pick up skills so that they can be reintegrated back into society. During the day, Inmates are also given odd jobs to do. In Spain for example, prison inmates are made to look after and grow fruit trees, and for each fruit they harvest they are paid from the the money collected from selling them. In this manner, prison inmates are actually working for their own upkeep and are not being a burden to the working population.

Notice how the major arguments to justifying capital punishment are mostly due to practical reasons. This is largely because it is almost inherent to all of us that taking the life of another regardless the reason can never be justifiable on moral grounds(exception to the cases of euthanasia). Even sentencing a murderer to death, is logically and morally wrong. The murderer has already taken a life, by the judiciary board sentencing the murderer to death does not resolve anything. The life has already been lost nothing can be done to bring the victim back. Having said that, there would be utterly no meaning in killing the murderer. Furthermore, who are we to decide the fate of another? It is not in our position to play god. By sentencing, the accused to death , wouldn't that make us murderers too. The judiciary does have a right to punish the murderer for taking the life of another. But to sentence the murderer to death , to kill the murderer is a whole different story. By executing a criminal, would the judiciary not be stooping to their level?

Child Prostitution

The knowledge of the insanely large numbers of children being forced to enter the sex industry is truly heart wrenching. The pain does not stop there, for these numbers are currently growing even now. Statistics that show the number of children forced into this sick trade just keep rising yearly. Even more shocking is the news that such a horrible practice is not limited to the third world countries, child prostitution is rampant in several affluent countries as well.

I think it is such an irony that the world has developed so much and how much we have worked for the equality of man. The sweat and blood spilt over the establishment and recognition of the human rights. Yet, the reason and the main driving force to the child sex industry is the increasing and very large demand for it. The demand for child prostitution is so great that it is estimated to be an industry churning out 10 billion U.S dollars each year. It sort of goes to show how much really there is a respect for human rights. In third world countries where the majority of child prostitutes are found, It is usually already illegal for such a practice. However, the law is not strongly enforced in such places. Why is this so ? Simply because the law enforcers are lowly paid, hence are more than willing to take in bribes from child prostitution centers to allow to carry on operating.

Another reason why child prostitution is so rampant is because of poverty. In many cases especially those in the third world and developing countries money is hard to come by. In Asia this problem is bolstered largely by the sudden economic boom and subsequent bust, which has created a increasing gap between the rich and the poor, countryside and city. As a result, the poor in an attempt to survive , start to view their children as a resource and sell them off. These children who are sold largely end up at brothels. Most parents are tricked to sell off their children thinking that they will be sent overseas to work as odd job workers or as servants. However, there are those who knowingly sell their children off to work at brothels. i find this very saddening, these in most cases girls have their trust betrayed by those whom they believe in the most.

The fight to combat child prostitution must begin with closing the gap between the rich and poor as well as educating the public to reduce the demand of child prostitutes. Laws must be strictly enforced. Everyone must do their part to protect these children, for the children are our future.

plastic surgery

Plastic surgery has become the latest craze, from teenagers receiving it as a birthday presents to working individuals seeking to improve their appearances .Plastic surgery is now an increasing trend in many affluent countries around the world in particular South Korean and Japan . It is used by many to create that perfect look on themselves, and to make them feel socially more accepted by society.

I feel that our society is rapidly becoming more and more superficial as we progress. Job interviewers now take in mind how the candidate looks more seriously, and research has shown that better looking individuals are being paid better then not so appealing ones. This i believe is due to several reasons .

For one I think that this superficiality in society is continuously being promoted hence the increasing demand for better looks. This could be due to several reasons such as the reports of fashion magazines where a warped perspective of beauty is portrayed, for instance the common and preferred use of aneroxic looking models, and further aggravated by the beauty industry defining a new form of beauty to improve how we look as a unscrupulous method of generating demand for their products. This some what generates a certain view and definition that society have on beauty and implanting the image in society that beauty is really only skin deep this leads the common citizen to begin to question themselves if their appearance is acceptable in the society they live in. As a result people tend to feel lacking in some aspects and will start to find different ways to improve how they look, gradually they would view plastic surgery as a permanent solution to looking good. I think that this is not acceptable and i find it superficial that people have to rely on how they look to feel good about themselves.

But plastic surgery can still have its positive side. People who have been horrifically disfigured by accidents and severe burns may wish to seek plastic surgery as a way to make such unsightly and rather revolting scars less repulsive. These victims normally have severely disfigured faces and features, which makes people grimace when they see them. From their perspective, i find it not just fine but recommended that they look better for themselves and the people around them. This people seek a normal life through plastic surgery to stop being shunned by society. Imagine the ridicule they'd feel when a kid walks by and ignorantly asks his or her parents why that person looks so disgusting.

Thus, i believe that plastic surgery for the rectification of deformities and as a mean to aid the injured a good reason for advancement, but only to the extent that it does not lead to creating a underlying sense of superficiality and materialism amongst the population. Beauty by my definition is not how sharp ones nose is nor whether one has a single or double eyelid, Beauty comes from the soul it is the manifestation of the way one treats a fellow being and the way a person carries them self. Look not for beauty in ones face but from ones soul.

How ethical is youtube in its dealings in the media industry?

Although Youtube has been such a big hit ever since its creation in 2006 , there remain several issues with the ethics in its dealings with the media industry. Albeit, majority of the videos found on youtube are homemade or are not under protection from copyright laws, the presence of disregard for intellectual property is undeniable. Certain people may abuse the somewhat community moderated system and upload movies and other types of intellectual material without consent from the copyright holders. In the article, it is mentioned that so long as youtube does a good job of quickly removing videos whenever copyright holders ask, youtube will not be held liable for copyright infringement. As a result of loopholes in such laws youtube then provides piracy a large amount of space to run rampant and cause serious damage to the entertainment industry. In addition to the question of youtube's ethics, copyright infringement is not the only problem. Youtube is run in such a way that there isn't a group of editors to monitor what is being uploaded. The videos uploaded on to youtube are not checked before they are allowed to appear on the site, hence the question of whether these videos are suitable for everyone to view. Because youtube is a new form of mass medium, almost anyone with a computer is able to access youtube and view its content and in this way children may be exposed to certain undesirable content(with reference to excessive violence, gore or sexual themes). The article mentioned that videos deemed unsuitable for the general public are flagged and later removed by Youtube, however the flaw in this system is that viewers have to view the content first before knowing whether to flag the videos or not in the first place. In the meantime, the video could already have been viewed by hundreds of people, some of which not mature enough to be exposed to such material. Thus i feel this is a very ineffective way of policing the system.

To what extent has the emergence of youtube changed our media industry?

Youtube's emergence has changed the media industry significantly. Youtube has in a sense linked the various forms of media throughout the world and enabled any net citizen to be able to view programmes aired in another country. This is made able because users from all around the world are able to upload their local television programmes onto youtube for the world the view. An excellent example of this would be the latest trend amongst Singaporean teens to watch and keep up with anime series aired in japan. In addition, these videos are also usually subtitled by the people who uploaded the videos for the convenience of those who do not understand their local language. Another example, is the recent craze over Korean and Japanese serials and variety programs. These shows were mostly made famous through the viewer ship of them on youtube. Youtube has thus revolutionized television and made it international. Youtube has also served as a platform for budding stars and directors. This is because through youtube these people can upload their homemade videos onto the internet and gain opinions on how to improve their works. It is in such a sense that youtube has revolutionized media. In the near future, is would not seem unlikely that youtube begins collaborating with television networks to completely bring forth an age of international television. Who knows Youtube may actually replace the need for a television in the future.

1st post. deadlined 29.3.07 12pm

HI! the name's garrett. Previously in the delightful and lovely Beatty Secondary, currently in AJ. Got to love the place, its great.
Im not a basketball player. i play soccer. NOT basketball. soccer is nice.

GP post 1.
over and out.