Car race

"You are not going win, you loser, I am way ahead of you now! You can never catch up with me, accelerate... And goodbye!"
"You are not very ahead of me, you retard, I am going to chase you down all the way, look at your speed, only 120km/h, I am going at 150km/h, going to overtake you in less than 10 seconds, haha!"
"What nonsense is this? It is such a gigantic lake, the water in there is so clear! It is so fascinating, can't believe I could still see such a lake in this century!"
"It is awesome, it seems so glistering under the fine sunlight! Wonders what living organisms could be inside this beautiful lake..."
"Guess we are expecting the wrong thing.... Such enormous and ugly creature with 18 legs and 24 hands should not appear in this location, oh come on, this should not be happening.."
"K, I guess we have to... RUN! Sorry, DRIVE AWAY NOW!"
"Right, engines turning up, relax, just a little while more, we are leaving, just relax, do not get so overwhelmed, we are.. LEAVING! Oh my god, it is trying to capture us!"
"Well, I can see that, I am driving like at the speed of 200km/h, but it does not seem to be leaving further away from it!"
"I bet it is traveling at the speed of 250km/h, that is even faster than birds! I guess this is the end to say bye bye to the world...."

Caylee Anthony case

I feel that the general public should show mercy and just leave her alone. As a mother, losing a child is already very unbearable for her. Furthermore, there are no concrete evidence to prove that she had murdered her child.

Being a mother, it takes 10 months to give birth to a child, the bond between a mother and a child is unexplainable. They are just very close as the mother carries the child for 10 months! How much work, care and comfort is needed from the mother for the 10 months of pregnancy before giving birth, there is no way anybody can doubt this. During giving birth to the child, the mother experienced how it is like being separated from its own child, the pain felt is something you never know. Furthermore, the mother has to take care of of the child till it grows up, the feelings developed between them can never be broken up. Relating back to Casey Anthony's case, she had lost a daughter for weeks and months, and later, found her dead, is there any way an outsider would be more upset than the mother? There may be other reasons that Casey did not wish to say why she did not report her daughter's missing, but as a mother, do you think she would not care about her daughter? It is within the mother, all the feelings that others can never be able to experienced it after being a mother. Thus, I feel that the public should just leave her alone, the pain that Casey feel will definitely overwhelm the crowds' "circumstantial evidence".

Next, there are no concrete evidence that shows that Casey had murdered her daughter. From the article on this case, it states that "Prosecutors couldn't say how Caylee died because the girl's body was too decomposed to harvest DNA or other forensic evidence. So the state relied on circumstantial evidence: the trunk of Casey's car smelled like a dead body to some witnesses; someone did an internet search for chloroform — a chemical that can be used to knock someone unconscious — at the Anthony home; and there was duct tape on Caylee's skull when it was found six months after she was last seen in June 2008." Thus, even the defense cannot find out how she died, so how can the public just judge that it is Casey that murdered her daughter? It utterly makes no sense here. It is just the public's assumption and just by their assumption, they deduce that it is Casey that murdered her daughter! Thus, the public should just show mercy towards Casey as no evidence proved that Casey killed her daughter, even the jury also proved her acquitted.

Fairness for Strauss-Kahn's innocence

It is not fair for the media to charge him guilty. First, there must be no bias against Strauss. Second, the people and media should not be using their own past knowledge to judge a person's guilt.

There should not be any bias against Strauss when there is fairness. From the article "Rush to misjudgement?" from the Time magazine, it has stated that "there is a long history of women who have been ignored or worse when they dared charge a powerful man with rape. One of the great victories of the feminist movement of the 1960s and '70s was reforming how rape cases are handled. States passed rape shield laws, which barred defense lawyers from cross-examining women about their sexual history. States also dropped requirements that there be corroborating evidence beyond the victim's testimony. These reforms were much needed, and they helped victims get fairer treatment in the courts" Thus, it has clearly stated that women are given equal rights to voice out their own words, and it would a fair sentence by the judge according to the above laws stated. Therefore, Strauss, as a head of the International Monetary Fund, will not be given any special privilege, thus, the media should not be bias against Strauss just because of his position in the society.

It is not fair towards Strauss if the media and public judge him just because of past knowledge that people in high positions will definitely escaped from such cases. The definition of fairness means that both parties are given themselves a chance to voice out before the final judgement is out but the people and the media now are accusing Strauss for a rape charge. They just listen to what the victim said and have not analyze whether it is credible or trustworthy to just believe the maid. It is very rash to just deduce that Strauss raped the maid without even listening to his point of view. Although a rapist would never admit what he does, but it is still not confirm whether he is lying or really innocent before the evidence even came out. Thus, it is not fair to Strauss in this case.

Although Strauss upholds a high position in the States, we must also be fair for both sides. Thus, it is unfair to Strauss just by saying he is guilty before any evidences has been found out. It is just what the people proclaimed, but it may not be true after all.

Online lesson 11

Money is everything?

I am absolutely sure that everyone knows what M-O-N-E-Y stands for. It stands for money. Money is an essential item for survival. Look around you, the pen that you are holding, the clothes that you are wearing, all these needs money. Money can be taken in many forms: Cash, Cheque, Plantations, Land. But, do you think money is everything? If your equation is Money = Everything, then I can tell you, you are wrong!

There are things which you cannot get with money. It includes friendship, kinship, brotherhood and also love. If you think that you can buy all these things, you are utterly wrong! Do you know how much is 1 friendship? Can you weigh it? Can you tell me what is the exact amount? No, no one even knows! It is the same for love. You think that money is needed to have love? Let me tell you, love is never a matter of money. Love is something that is within you, it is reflected by all your actions. Caring for an injured animal, treasuring loved ones, all these demonstrates your love. Does these actions need money? What it needs is your heart.

Maybe you could tell me that once you step into the society, everything changes. Relationships will built on money. It is always money placed at the top, those that have money comes to me, people without money, just get out of my sight. Talks and parties attended, money will say everything. When people see that you drive in big cars, holding big bucks on hand, they will come naturally to you. But remember, will these people really treat you as a friend? a person that really cares for you? I am sure everybody has an answer for their own.

To end my speech, money is needed, but it is nothing compared to your feelings and relationships. Always remember, never give up relationships for the sake of money, it is never worth it as money is not everything!

Private space travel

I feel that private commercial space travel is a good thing. There will be a rise of reputation of the company and a deeper insight of space. However, there may also be a rise of danger too as there may be inexperienced people on-board.

Private commercial space travel can bring a rise of reputation to that company. When private commercial starts their space travel mission, it will "disturb" people from world-wide to look at this company through publicity. Newspaper, broadcast and internet will all be showing what this company is doing which thus, attracted much attention for this company. When this company successfully launched space shuttle into space and coming back successfully to Earth after the space exploration, many people will remember this person from this company had done us, man, proud! Therefore, if private commercial does space travel, it would increase their reputation by lots and would eventually be able to earn revenue from all the customers that come to "buy" their goods.

Private commercial space travel can also help us to have a greater insight on space. As NASA has been the only big association that have done space exploration and we, man, do not want to stop exploring space, thus, if NASA does not have the financial cost to carry on space exploration, it must be taken over by someone. Private commercial, having enough financial cost, should be able to take over NASA's role here. By continuing exploring space, we may be able to understand better on space and even find new stuffs in space too. Thus, by carrying on exploring space, we will be able to get a greater insight of it. Therefore, private commercial doing space travel will be able to continue the space exploration for NASA.

However, There will also be risk of danger in the process of private commercial space travel. Since private commercial steps in, they will be a slight chance that there may some inexperience people boarding into space. It will be very dangerous if there in no experienced people in a flight as it will be havoc if they ever meet any unexpected situations. Although this may happen, but with much training and the advances in technology, this problem will be reduced to its minimal so as to protect the people on-board the space shuttle. Thus, there may be danger during the flight but it will be overcome by the advances in technology and training given to the people.

In conclusion, private commercial space travel has more pros than cons, in which the con, rise of danger, could be easily settled with high-leveled training and the best technology. As for the pros, it could be much wealth for the private company, no doubt!

Lending of money

No, I would not lend money to Bassanio. First, I do not have money to lend him, second, I am not a risk-taker like Bassanio, thus, I would not want to risk the lend and I feel that matrimony is not a matter of money.

I would not lend money to Bassanio as I do not even have the money to lend him. I am a wealthy merchant but not happy since I have to worry about my business enterprises. Bassanio still owes me money but unable to pay back his debts, and now asking for yet more money so he can marry the wealthy Portia and so pay me back. But the problem is, I have no money to spare as my wealth comes from the ships that I own and Salarino also comments that I am worried for my ships which could easily be at peril from storms or pirates. Thus, I do not have the money to lend him thus, I would not lend him money.

I would not lend my money to him as I am not a risk-taker here. Bassanio persuaded me by using his childhood experience on arrows. He said that if he shoots he same arrow at the same direction as the other, he would be able to find both. The money which Bassanio had borrowed from me and had squandered is like the first lost arrow; and the additional sum of money that he hopes to borrow from me is like the second arrow. Bassanio suggests that if I would take the risk of investing yet another sum of money, like he once did shoot an additional arrow, I might be able to get his original sum of money back, just as Bassanio managed to locate his first arrow. But what happen if both my sums go down the drain? Thus, as I am scared that I lose both the amount of money as I am not a risk-taker, therefore, I would not lend money to him just to gamble.

Lastly, I feel that matrimony is not a matter of money, Portia may not be a person that who put much concern on the appearance you give her. A real-life example would be my parents. Neither side was rich and both still get along well with each other during their dating season and they slowly develop their compassion towards each other and finally deciding to have a marriage. What if you have lots and lots of money but your lover does not actually love you, so what is the point? True love is not using money to hold back the person, it is compassion.

In conclusion, I would not lend money to Bassanio to pursue Portia. Although it may seem that I do not treasure the friendship between Bassanio and I, but Bassanio needs to learn the hard way and not lend money to settle all his problem.

Changes between plot and play

There are much changes to be seen in Merchant of Venice when you compare the play and the plot. First, there are some parts of the story being cut away like how Bassanio is supposed to persuade Antonio to lend him money so that he can pursue the lady he loved, Portia. In this case, it changes the characters of Bassanio and Antonio. In the book, it says that Bassanio took examples of his childhood experience to persuade Antonio to lend him money to pursue Portia, but in the clip, it shows that Bassanio only told Antonio how Portia looked like and did not attempt to persuade Antonio. Antonio also seems eager to lend Bassanio money to pursue Portia.

Second, the words used in the clip were more of standard English so that we are able to understand it better. But in the book, everything is written in Elizabeth English which take me a long time to understand and digest whatever the book is writing about. Furthermore, I am more of an image learner. So, the clip shows entirely how Antonio and friends teases Bassanio, thus, it tells me right away what is happening in the book. When I read the book, I did not really know that Bassanio was getting teased.

Expert Circle

Topic 1: Will the real William Shakespeare please stand up?

Why William Shakespeare of Stratford-upon-Avon is not considered a likely candidate for the authorship of Shakespeare's works?

Many scholars and historians all feel that the name “William Shakespeare” is a pen name for he real author of the plays to hide from the public and many scholars and literature historians all feel that the thought that “William Shakespeare” was simply a pen name is counted a fringe belief. Then, Shakespeare's biography, particularly his humble origins and obscure life, seemed incompatible with his poetic eminence and his reputation for genius, arousing suspicion that Shakespeare might not have written the works attributed to him.

Who are the possible candidates?

The controversy has since spawned a vast body of literature, and more than 70 authorship candidates have been proposed, including Francis Bacon, the 6th Earl of Derby, Christopher Marlowe, and the 17th Earl of Oxford.

The full list is available at : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Shakespeare_authorship_candidates

Who is the most likely candidate to have written Shakespeare's works? Provide reasons to support your view.

I feel that Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford is the most likely candidate to have written Shakespeare’s works. Edward was a well-educated and well-traveled nobleman of Queen Elizabeth court which may be comparable with the intelligence of William Shakespeare as William needed to very intelligent and also smart to be able to have written so many superb and historical plays which are still being acted and read till date. Another reason is that Edward was also not known being a playwright or a writer, and simply attributed to have high level of intelligence, which William Shakespeare may have wanted, not wanting anyone to recognise him for anything, if he used a pen name to avoid the public. Edward was also known to be pursuing literature, which William Shakespeare should be doing because the only reason he wrote so many plays was because he loved literature. Last but not least, the birth and death date of William Shakespeare is very close, with the birth date being unknown, only that it is known that he was baptised in 1564, which may be possible as Edward was born in 1550. However, there is a 14-year difference in the year of death, which may also be caused by mistake during recording such as assuming that he was dead just because he disappeared and left.

Topic 2 : Queen Elizabeth

Elizabeth I: Who was she?

1. Elizabeth I (7 September 1533 – 24 March 1603) was Queen regnant of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. She was also known as the virgin queen, gloriana. Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty. In 1558 Elizabeth succeeded the Catholic Mary I, during whose reign she had been imprisoned for nearly a year on suspicion of supporting Protestant rebels

What were England's international relations like during Elizabeth's reign?

2. Throughout the Early Modern Period English foreign policy underwent many dramatic shifts as the Monarch moved within the Franco-Spanish-Burgundian triangle. King Henry VII had been incredibly isolationist and intent on recovering from England's internal problems after the War of the Roses, but his son Henry VIII had grandiose imperial ambitions. Elizabeth had more in common with her grandfather than her father, and yet her reign would see England involved in fighting from Brussels to the New World and one of the great martial victories of English history, over the Spanish Armada. She was very sensitive to the European situation and it was often a catalyst for change in her foreign policy. This was a time of change for English foreign relations and Elizabeth learnt after a decade that the old-fashioned and well-trodden paths of her ancestors would need re-examining. England had strong relationship with Spain & France prior to 1567, Philip II of Spain, most powerful man in the World, had been married to Elizabeth's estranged sister, Mary I. But such a direct Spanish link to England had offended the common people, and Elizabeth declined Philip's offer of marriage to herself upon her accession.

What was Shakespeare's relationship with Elizabeth I?

3. Queen Elizabeth I liked when plays were acted out for her. She was very fond of Shakespeare’s plays. In some of his play, Shakespeare cleverly hinted passages referring to the Queen and other events that affiliated during both of their life time. Queen Elizabeth I was a great supporter of the arts, mainly she supported plays and masques.

Compare Elizabeth I to Portia from The Merchant of Venice. How is Portia's character a tribute to Elizabeth I?

4. Queen Elizabeth I liked when plays were acted out for her. She was very fond of Shakespeare’s plays. In some of his play, Shakespeare cleverly hinted passages referring to the Queen and other events that affiliated during both of their life time.

Diet

Did Elizabethan food and drink constitute a good balanced diet?

No! And especially not for the rich! The rich ate few fresh vegetables and little fresh fruit - unprepared food of this variety was viewed with some suspicion! Fruit was usually served in pies or was preserved in honey. Vegetables and fresh fruit were eaten by the poor - vegetables would have been included in some form of stew, soup or pottage. Food items which came from the ground were only are considered fit for the poor. Only vegetables such as rape, onions, garlic and leeks graced a Noble's table. Dairy products were also deemed as inferior foods and therefore only to be eaten by the poor.

Hygiene

The Poor

The greatest majority of families were poor. Hygiene, at this level, was not important enough to be practiced. Most people took only one to three baths a year. Oral hygiene was not considered.

Middle Class

The yeomanry and the gentry were more concerned with hygiene, bathing as often as once a month. Daily washing of the face, neck and wrists was common. Teeth were cleaned by rinsing with vinegar and water, then wiping each tooth with a cloth. Toothpicks were also widely used.

The Wealthy

The wealthy bathed every other week, and often enjoyed expensive soap. Beards were also washed with soap, and kept trimmed and neat. Ironically, many oral hygiene concoctions were sweetened with honey, causing rapid tooth decay.

Recreation

Fairs

The Annual Summer Fair and other seasonal fairs such as May Day were often bawdy affairs.

Plays

Started as plays enacted in town squares followed by the actors using the courtyards of taverns or inns (referred to as Inn-yards) followed by the first theatres (great open air amphitheatres built in the same style as the Roman Coliseum) and then the introduction of indoor theatres called Playhouses.

Miracle Plays

Re-enactments of stories from the Bible. These are derived from the ancient Briton custom of Mystery Plays, in which stories and fables were enacted to teach lessons or educate about life in general. Miracle plays included stories from all ecclesiastic literature, from the Bible to the everyday psaltery or prayerbook.

Festivals

Celebrating Church festivals

Jousts / Tournaments

A series of tilted matches between two or more warriors, by the Elizabethan time period these were more of a show or display of arms than to settle disputes such as we hear of in stories. Unlike our romantic notions of only knights participating in a joust, they were in fact a favorite of many, such as King Henry VIII, who often in his youth showed off his equestrian skills with a lance and a tilt.

Games and Sports

Sports and games which included archery, bowling, cards, dice, hammer-throwing, quarter-staff contests, troco, quoits, skittles, wrestling and mob football.

Card Games

Cards appeared in Spain and Italy about 1370, but they probably came from Egypt. They began to spread throughout Europe and came into England around 1460. By the time of Elizabeth’s reign, gambling was a common sport. Cards were not played only by the upper class. Many of the lower classes had access to playing cards. The card suits tended to change over time.

Accommodation

The most common manor plan for Elizabethan times housing was an E shape, with the vertical line of the E being the main hall, and the shorter horizontal end lines the kitchens and living rooms. The shorter central line was the entry porch. On the upper floor of the main hall there was a long gallery, used for entertaining as a family area, for exercise on dull days, and as a portrait gallery, the long gallery was an almost universal feature of Elizabethan manors. It featured windows on three sides and fireplaces along the fourth, and it usually ran the entire length of the floor.

Topic 4: The (historical and cultural) Setting of Venice

What was Venice like during the 15th and 16th century? Comment especially on its demographics and culture.

Venice in the 14th and 15th century was fighting and acquiring islands and various territories on the way to the Middle East. Venice started declining in the 16th century after various attacks like the Kingdoms of France and Spain. One of such example will be the Turks. In the summer of 1570, about 60,000 troops, including cavalry and artillery, under the command of Mustafa Pasha landed unopposed near Limassol on July 2, 1570, and laid siege to Nicosia. In an orgy of victory on the day that the city fell — September 9, 1570 — 20,000 Nicosian Greeks and Venetians were put to death, and every church, public building, and palace was looted.

However, Venice flourished and was an important trading centre and art centre due to its stable political climate. There were over a 100000 people living in Venice in the 15th and 16th century. At the beginning of the 16th century, theatres were introduced and were welcomed by the citizens. Groups of actors performed in the houses of nobles and even they charged admission.

Why was Venice important during the 15th and 16th century?

Venice was a centre for Renaissance culture in the 15th and 16th century. Architecture, art, music and literature flourished in Venice. As a major port of trade, Venice was able to find ready markets for whatever decorative arts Venetian craftsmen could produce. The whole Republic was crawling with ceramists, glassworkers, woodworkers, lace makers and sculptors (in addition to painters), all of whom made entirely satisfactory livings. Trading was also very important in Venice as it was along one of the main trading routes during the Renaissance.

How Venice is an appropriate setting for the plot of The Merchant of Venice?

While Jews had been legally banned from England since 1290, Venice had laws in place to protect non-Venetian traders who supported the city's economic well-being

Shakespeare's setting is filled with religious strife, especially between Christians and Jews. Also, in 16th century, Venice was more tolerant of foreigners than Elizabethan England; Jews in Venice were confined to ghettos at the time Shakespeare wrote The Merchant of Venice.

Topic five:

Why was there such animosity between Jews and Christians?

Love in Christianity:

Jewish conception of love to justice, and the Christian conception of love to charity.

Sin:

In both religions, sin refers to an offense towards god. these sin can be thoughts, words and deeds.

However, in the christian religion, sin is grouped into different types. the first one is called a venial sin, in which the sinner has wounded their relationship with god. on the other hand a complete destruction of the relationship with god is most often called a mortal sin. Christians think that unless the sinner has salvation from sin, after they die they will go to hell in the afterlife

In what ways did the Christians discriminate against Jews in 15th and 16th century Europe?

Christians thought that Jews are inferior to them and therefore, should not be accepted into their society. What is more is that if a Jew wants to be accepted into the society, they will have to be converted to a Christian. They are also openly discriminated by the Christians and treated as slaves.

Anti-Semitism

Among socio-economic factors were restrictions by the authorities. Local rulers and church officials closed many professions to the Jews, pushing them into marginal occupations considered socially inferior, such as tax and rent collecting and moneylending, tolerated then as a "necessary evil". Catholic doctrine of the time held that lending money for interest was a sin, and forbidden to Christians. Not being subject to this restriction, Jews dominated this business. The Torah and later sections of the Hebrew Bible criticise Usury but interpretations of the Biblical prohibition vary. Since few other occupations were open to them, Jews were motivated to take up money lending. This was said to show Jews were insolent, greedy, usurers, and subsequently led to many negative stereotypes and propaganda. Natural tensions between creditors (typically Jews) and debtors (typically Christians) were added to social, political, religious, and economic strains. Peasants who were forced to pay their taxes to Jews could personify them as the people taking their earnings while remaining loyal to the lords on whose behalf the Jews worked.

Topic 6

In what sort of building were Shakespeare’s plays performed?

Shakespeare’s plays were mostly performed in the Globe Theatre which was some sort of a medieval building. The outer view of the building has a much simpler design while the inside holds a much more intricate design which brings out a mystical atmosphere. The Globe Theatre had no roof, allowing sunlight to enter the building during the day. The building had no lighting equipment thus plays were mostly scheduled in the afternoon where there is light.

How did the physical constraints of the theatre affect the language of Shakespeare’s plays?

The theater that Cuthbert Burbage built for the Chamberlain’s Men had a total capacity of between 2,000 and 3,000 spectators. Because there was no lighting, all performances at the Globe were conducted, weather permitting, during the day (probably most often in the mid-afternoon span between 2 P.M. and 5 P.M.). Because most of the Globe and all of its stage was open air, acoustics were poor and the actors were compelled by circumstances to shout their lines, stress their enunciation, and engage in exaggerated theatrical gestures.

The language of Shakespeare’s plays are also descriptive as the theatres are open air without much scenery. The scenery are being described through dialogues and actions of the actors. Therefore the language of Shakespeare’s plays are often descriptive.

What sort of people acted in plays?

Shakespeare’s fellow members of the Lord Chamberlain’s Men acted in his plays. Among these actors were Richard Burbage (who played the title role in the first performances of many of Shakespeare’s plays, including Hamlet, Othello, Richard III and King Lear), Richard Cowley (who played Verges in Much Ado About Nothing), William Kempe, (who played Peter in Romeo and Juliet and, possibly, Bottom in A Midsummer Night’s Dream) and Henry Condell and John Heminges, are most famous now for collecting and editing the plays of Shakespeare’s First Folio.

What sort of people went to see them?

People from all classes went to see Shakespeare’s plays in Shakespeare’s time. Anyone who could afford the minimum price of one penny could go and stand in the yard in front of the stage. They were known as ‘groundlings’ or ‘penny stinkers’; they stood all through the play. Those who could afford two pennies could sit on the covered benches; there were three tiers of covered seating around the edge of the yard. Rich people could sit above, or above and just to the side of the stage in the ‘Lords’ rooms’.

How was “The Theatre” viewed by Elizabethan society?

The Mayor and Corporation of London banned plays in 1572 as a measure against the plague, and in 1575 they formally expelled all players from the city1 This prompted the construction of playhouses outside the jurisdiction of London, in the liberties of Halliwell/Holywell in Shoreditch and later the Clink, and at Newington Butts near the established entertainment district of St. George’s Fields in rural Surrey

Compare the modern-day Globe Theatre in London with the theatres that Shakespeare worked in.

In the past, Shakespeare worked in places like the theatre….

The Theatre was an Elizabethan playhouse located in Shoreditch (in Curtain Road, part of the modern London Borough of Hackney), just outside the City of London. It was the second permanent theatre ever built in England, after the Red Lion, and the first successful one. Built by actor-manager James Burbage, near the family home in Holywell Street, The Theatre is considered the first theatre built in London for the sole purpose of theatrical productions. The Theatre’s history includes a number of important acting troupes including the Lord Chamberlain’s Men.The design of The Theatre was possibly adapted from the inn-yards that had served as playing spaces for actors and/or bear baiting pits. The building was a polygonal wooden building with three galleries that surrounded an open yard.

However, the modern Globe theatre is different in…

Shakespeare’s Globe is a reconstruction of the Globe Theatre, an Elizabethan playhouse in the London Borough of Southwark, located on the south bank of the River Thames, but destroyed by fire in 1613, rebuilt 1614 then demolished in 1644. The modern reconstruction, of the 1614 building, was founded by the actor and director Sam Wanamaker and built approximately 230 metres (750 ft) from the site of the original theatre. The theatre was opened to the public in 1997, with a production of Henry V. The site also includes a reconstruction of the Blackfriars Theatre.

Rampant Piracy in Asia

There will be three negative consequences I will be talking about. First, Apple's business will dropped a lot, more piracy would be resulted and unhappiness will be rendered due to the restriction of music, books and movies.

Due to this restriction, Apple's business may drop due the loss of market in Asia. The restriction of music, books and movies in Asia will discourage many people from buying Apple product as they could not get anything that they like. As smart phones like HTC and Androids are becoming more and more useful and popular compared to Apple phones, many people will go for other smart phones but not Apple products due to the restriction. Thus, Apple may ver likely to lose much of Asian market if this restriction continues.

Due to the restriction, more piracy will be resulted in Asia too. Many Asian Apple fans that bought Apple product but did not get whatever they like, they will try all means and ways to get these "better" apps. As such, "jail-breaking" became very popular among people in Asia as "jail-breaking" allow users to get any apps of any cost at 0 dollars. Thus, this tempted many people to "jail-break" their phones, which had resulted more pirated products being evolved in Asia. Thus, the restriction did not stop piracy in Asia, it had made piracy "stronger" in Asia.

Due to the restriction, many people in Asia will be unhappy as they cannot get whatever apps they like while those people in the Europe can use such apps daily. Many Asians will then be agitated that why Europeans are able to use such apps that we Asians cannot use. The Asians will be more infuriated when they hear that because of piracy in Asia that caused this restrictions. Does that mean that Europeans will not used "jail-break"? Such arguments will be resulted due to the unfairness of Apple which had caused much unhappiness in Asia.

In conclusion, I find that Apple is very "stupid" to impose such restriction in Asia as it will cause them to lose revenue, heated up more piracy in Asia and cause Asians unhappy over Apple product.

Project Work

I am walking to my friend's house now doing our project work. Preliminary is around the corner and we have not done much preparation on our project. Our mentor, Ms Wun, has given us criteria and notes that we need to follow but till date, we have not done any of it! All my group mates, Patrick, Chuan Xin and Kah Xuan, are also slacking for the June holidays. It is 3 weeks to preliminary but we are still not preparing for it. Getting back on track, we rushed through the entire project, that includes APA format, power-point slides, rehearsals etc. We are shagged after doing project throughout nights for 4 days. The day of prelim arrived and all of us were preparing our script. We are scared that we will forget any of our lines, so, we kept on memorizing our lines, till we enter the judging room. Our hard work paid-off, we presented well in preliminary without much stammering and we are able to answer most of the questions the judges throw over. We exited the room, relieved and confident of getting into semi-finals. We left school, worrying next about our math test!

Online lesson 10

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-l-esposito/combating-religious-intol_b_890537.html (Racial and religious tension)

This article talks about racial intolerance now in America, when religious pluralism, versus the defamation of religion and freedom of speech is an increasing source of conflict in international politics and inter-religious relations. Racial intolerance is one of the themes of Merchant of Venice, when the Christians hated the Jews but currently, instead of Jews at that time, people now picked on the Muslims.

http://www.globalissues.org/article/768/global-financial-crisis (Financial Problems)

This article is about our global crisis during the 2007 to 2008. In Merchant of Venice, Shylock also suffered from a "crisis" when his daughter robbed his money away.

"When are you returning my money, you brown guy! It has been a week, your interest rate is a boom here, dude!" an ABC shouted

"Well well well, white guy, oh.. I am sorry, yellow guy, you did not say that you will calculate interest at first, so, I am able to not pay you interest, you, yellow yellow, dirty fellow!" a Muslim boy refuted.

"I don't care, you filthy pile of mud, you better pay up or else I shall dial the police number and there goes you into the jail!" ABC angrily scolded.

"I guess, you do not know your laws well, such a small case, and you want to bring up to the police, you think the police will believe you, young kid, you do not have any "contract" with me, no evidence, so go away, you noob!" the Muslim boy sniggered as he answered the ABC.

"You don't call me a noob, you idiot. You, Malays are always known for all these pathetic stuffs, especially riots, don't think you Malays are the biggest, actually you suck!" ABC laughed.

"You don't scold my race, noob, you think yellows are better? We are about the same!" the Muslim roared.

What is the point? One brown guy and one yellow guy quarreling, just listen to us, white people! :)

Large gender imbalance in 50 years

If there is a shortage of women in the world, there would be a declining birth rate, an increase of sex trafficking and greater pressure on women.

When there is a shortage of women, there would be less people being able to give birth to children, thus, there would be a declining birth rate. China had proven this; "Since it is women who give birth and not men, the future scarcity of women implies that the effective reproductive capacity for both countries is below what is suggested by the unadjusted TFR reading. After making the adjustment for the gender imbalance, China’s Effective Fertility Rate (EFR) is around 1.5." In other words, the Chinese are already far from replacing themselves due to such gender imbalance, which may lead to severe loss of Chinese in the world for a long term run.

Shortage of women may also lead to sex trafficking. An article by Bellinda Kontominas Medical Reporter in India on October 31, 2007 has shown that "In a study of sex selection in China, India, Nepal and Vietnam, Dr Guilmoto estimated that by 2050, the number of men would outweigh that of women by 33 million in India and by 25 million in China- even id current rates of gender imbalanced declined. This could lead to a large number of men migrating to find partners or to an increase in sex trafficking, said Dr Guilmoto." Therefore, sex trafficking would go up hugely in amount, which then reflect a bad society reputation.

Last but not least, women in the future would also have great pressure. From the same article by Bellinda Kontominas, "Dr Guilmoto said that, "If a woman has given birth to several girls, she is more likely to abort subsequent pregnancies until she conceives a boy, according to the research, which was commissioned by the United Nations Population Fund." This reflected the greater pressure on women to have a son after bearing only daughters, Dr Guilmoto said. He described sex selection as a "tragedy of the commons" where any perceived benefits of having sons gave way to disastrous consequences for society. "I think we certainly have all the ingredients for disaster," he said." Thus, women in the future will suffer from such depression which may lead to many health problems too.

In conclusion, large gender imbalance would only cause havoc to the country's stability. Thus, we must start preventing it from happening now!

Poem on World War 2

Millions of bicycles,
Whistled through the dense jungle
Of a undefeatable fortress

Safe and Sound,
The people thought
Soldiers were armed,
Against a wrong direction

Caught off guard,
Walked breezily through dead
Long streets

White towels flying in the air
Leaving a bunch of traumatized prisoners
Flags were changed
Kings were changed
People has also changed