here goesss...
URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12409480/
This article is about 5 teenagers who plotted a shooting rampage in their school. My first reaction to reading this article was “what the…” as these are only 16-18 year olds! 16-18 year olds plotting to terrorize their school with guns. Guns and knives and extra ammunition. The only time I ever held a gun was at my school’s air rifle trial. They even had documents relating to firearms and Armageddon. This raises a serious question of how American teens are living their lives.
I understand that in the US, people are allowed to own guns. But who would sell guns to 16 year old teenagers? The black market dealers probably, since 16 year olds are still below the age limit to own a gun. And who would know where these black market dealers are? Probably their friends who spend half their time living with their gangs and the other half having a gang war. Teens are now so exposed to violence on the television that they start to emulate what they see, especially if their circumstances are the same as the characters they see on television. The typical teen that joins gangs probably comes from a broken family, with the mother and father constantly fighting, a family with financial problems, or a family with parents who just don’t care. Of course, my perception of these teens above probably stemmed from television too. The point is that these teens do not have the right positive influence in their formative years, and that is why they grow up learning to be destructive.
Another point I would like to highlight that the article didn’t really touch on is the fact that they had documents pertaining to Armageddon. Biblically, Armageddon refers to the final battle between the kings of the world at the end of the world, but normally it refers to some big battle, much like World War 1. The reason I’m highlighting the Armageddon documents is because I think these teens may have thought they were some harbingers of doom and destruction and that it was their task to start the end of the world. This is a very scary concept as it links their intentions to more religious matters. It’s something like a westernized version of Jemaah Islamiyah.
After reading this article, I feel that indeed the future of the world is very cloudy, what with school shootouts that border on terrorism. American teenagers are very much wasting their time trying to rebel against society. The world really should start taking an interest in the welfare of our future leaders, lest they lead us into an era of turmoil.
whee finished.
Sunday, March 4, 2007
Thursday, March 1, 2007
my blog entry: organ trading
here goes my first entry
URL: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070228/lf_nm/singapore_organs_dc_3
This article talks about the sensitive issues surrounding the donation of organs of dead people. In Singapore, the current Human Organ Transplant Act (HOTA) states that hospitals may use organs of all non-Muslim patients who die unless the patients have personally opted out of the scheme.
Many people were willing to donate, but few came forward to do so. So HOTA was introduced in 1987 to address the shortage of kidney donations. All Singaporeans and Permanent Residents are automatically included in this scheme unless they indicated their wish to be left out. Initially in 1987, only kidneys were allowed to be taken and only if the cause of death was accidental. In the amendment to the Bill in 2004, HOTA was extended to include death by all causes and transplantation of liver, heart and cornea.
The big hullabaloo over organ donation was that all citizens were assumed to be willing donors. The fact is, since HOTA was introduced in 1987, those who were already over 21 may not have been fully aware of what HOTA was. The Ministry of Health states that when a person turns 21, he or she is sent a brochure of HOTA, but it did not say if those already 21 were duly informed. Therefore, even if a person was unwilling to donate, if he did not know about the scheme, his organs were automatically used for transplantation.
The argument here is that instead of the state “requisitioning” the organs upon death, the donors be allowed to sell their organs. Those in support of this notion say that if monetary incentive makes a person willing to donate his organs, so be it. Better that than go against the wishes of the dead. The problem with such organ trading is that it creates a black market and differentiates the rich from the poor. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), the donors are usually the poor or the uneducated, where their goal is to get as much money as possible. However, organ traffickers set the buying price at as low as US$1000, and the selling price at as much at $200,000. This means that only the rich get to benefit from the organ trade. This is precisely why HOTA was introduced; to give everybody an equal chance to get a transplant.
Personally, I oppose organ trading, as I feel it is an exploitation of the poor people and a sort of “social status” to be able to buy organs. I feel that organs should go to people who need them the most, not to the highest bidder on the black market. However, I do agree that before any removal of organs is made, the family should be consulted first, as technically they are the deceased’s closest kin, not the state. I do hope most people will be willing to donate their organs as it will seriously benefit the pool of patients out there waiting for organs.
URL: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070228/lf_nm/singapore_organs_dc_3
This article talks about the sensitive issues surrounding the donation of organs of dead people. In Singapore, the current Human Organ Transplant Act (HOTA) states that hospitals may use organs of all non-Muslim patients who die unless the patients have personally opted out of the scheme.
Many people were willing to donate, but few came forward to do so. So HOTA was introduced in 1987 to address the shortage of kidney donations. All Singaporeans and Permanent Residents are automatically included in this scheme unless they indicated their wish to be left out. Initially in 1987, only kidneys were allowed to be taken and only if the cause of death was accidental. In the amendment to the Bill in 2004, HOTA was extended to include death by all causes and transplantation of liver, heart and cornea.
The big hullabaloo over organ donation was that all citizens were assumed to be willing donors. The fact is, since HOTA was introduced in 1987, those who were already over 21 may not have been fully aware of what HOTA was. The Ministry of Health states that when a person turns 21, he or she is sent a brochure of HOTA, but it did not say if those already 21 were duly informed. Therefore, even if a person was unwilling to donate, if he did not know about the scheme, his organs were automatically used for transplantation.
The argument here is that instead of the state “requisitioning” the organs upon death, the donors be allowed to sell their organs. Those in support of this notion say that if monetary incentive makes a person willing to donate his organs, so be it. Better that than go against the wishes of the dead. The problem with such organ trading is that it creates a black market and differentiates the rich from the poor. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), the donors are usually the poor or the uneducated, where their goal is to get as much money as possible. However, organ traffickers set the buying price at as low as US$1000, and the selling price at as much at $200,000. This means that only the rich get to benefit from the organ trade. This is precisely why HOTA was introduced; to give everybody an equal chance to get a transplant.
Personally, I oppose organ trading, as I feel it is an exploitation of the poor people and a sort of “social status” to be able to buy organs. I feel that organs should go to people who need them the most, not to the highest bidder on the black market. However, I do agree that before any removal of organs is made, the family should be consulted first, as technically they are the deceased’s closest kin, not the state. I do hope most people will be willing to donate their organs as it will seriously benefit the pool of patients out there waiting for organs.
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