Personal Response Task

Drawing from this article and your personal experience, say why you believe human beings are willing to do good to others.

Personally, I believe human beings are willing to do good to others. Doing good to others comes in many forms, including helping others.

Every day in our lives, whether we have noticed it or not, we have at least done something that tie with doing good to others. At school, you might have helped your friends with their work. At home, you might have helped your mother with grocery shopping. These things undeniably, do occur in our lives.

There are possible reasons to why we human are willing to do them.

Firstly, based on the article, it can be said that humans expect reciprocity. That is why most of us believe in the Golden Rule ,"Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” I helped you, and i expect in some way, a form of help given to me in the future. This can be one of the few reasons that drives us to do good to others.

Another reason, based on the article, is that we do good to others if we find the benefit to be much greater than the cost of the act of goodness. An example can be, I help you with cleaning the house if the benefit that is reaped is that I earn $100 just for it.

In a way, both reasons are very similar to one another, in the sense that both expect something in return. They are the very reasons why humans are willing to do good to others.

Edited Intro :D

$40- million. Imagine the possibilities you can do with that! You can indulge yourselves with the most expensive shoes. Or you can buy a grand, huge and luxurious bungalow? Or you can buy so many cars that even your garage can't possibly fit them all? Or you might be a hero to the eyes of the world and possibly donate all those money to a worthy cause, like to the poor people in Africa? Imagine how many people in Africa that you can possibly save? You'd be contributing to the eradication of world hunger!

Well, that was the amount The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) had used. Well, in a less worthy cause. It was used for the recently completed $40 - million makeover of Orchard Road. The makeover was done in hope to improve aesthetic look and feel of Orchard Road. Though this was done with good intentions, it allowed many to criticise on the government's part on their decision for such a makeover. Personally, I feel that decision made by the government was not the right one.

Commentary ah sieal

Summary of the article
The article describes the menace of “deaf” youngsters who have earphones plugged into their ears. These youngsters are said to face greater risk of accidents on the road. It is not an uncommon sight to see youngsters who have their ears plugged with their earphones or with their cellphones. The National Safety Council of Singapore observed that when your attention is distracted, it increases the chances of accidents. A test was conducted and the results showed that those who have their ears plugged in are in danger to road accidents. Youngsters do know of the risk that they are in, but they do not stop doing it.

Commentary
Ever wondered how you might be in danger every single day?

The overuse of electronic devices in our daily lives has led us to depend too much on them in many aspects, especially when it comes to entertainment. However, the entertainment that is derived from these devices could indirectly cause major harm to ourselves and others if the device is not at the appropriate times. In this day and age, most youngsters can be seen walking around, absorbed in their cellphones or music players. But have they ever thought of the dangers that lie when they do such things? I agree that these people who use such devices when on the road are more prone to accidents on the road because of the lack of attention they would give.

It is undeniable when one is absorbed in doing something, one gives one’s full attention to doing that. However, when one is doing more than just one thing, one’s attention would be divided. When we are walking and conversing with our friends, there is likelihood that we might not be attentive to our surroundings and trip and fall over a small hump. What more when we are engrossed in our mobile phones or music players when we are walking on the road. Doing these things divides our focus. We might not be able to able to notice the difference in our surrounding. A spokesman for the Automobile Association of Singapore mentioned that research has shown that distraction from handheld electronic devices is one of the major causes of road accidents. Listening to music and so on definitely increases the risk of accidents because we would be distracted when we do such things.

I remembered once when I was going home from training. It was around nine in the evening and was really exhausted after training. I was listening to my music player and crossing the road when a car was moving really fast and almost hit me. It was really frightening experience. I, of course, confess that it was partly my fault because I was jaywalking back then. But I was oblivious to my surroundings when I was listening to my music player. Indeed, being absorbed in our cellphones or music players do increase the chances of accidents occurring.

However, it is the car driver’s responsibility to look out for pedestrians if the pedestrian is in front. That was what Seah Jia Hao, a polytechnic student, said when interviewed. It is partly true and cannot be denied that part of the responsibility is the car driver itself. However, I disagree to the point that it is the driver’s responsibility fully. Imagine this. If a driver was driving late at night and there was a pedestrian in front of him. If he was to just avoid that particular pedestrian, what would be the consequence of such a move? There is a high possibility that other road users would be affected. He might swerve, and hit more pedestrians. If he was to apply emergency break, other cars behind him might crash and a bigger road accident? Indeed, the consequences of such a thing seem rather bleak as well.

The point that I am trying to bring out is that it is not only the driver’s responsibility or the pedestrian’s when it comes to road safety. Rather, it is the responsibility of each and every single individual road user’s responsibility. The pedestrians should try their best to avoid being involved in a road accident. Removing their earphones or being glued to their mobile phones while walking or when crossing the road is the very least that they could do in trying to prevent accidents. It is the vehicle user’s responsibility to drive safely, to abide to traffic rules, and to look out for pedestrians. If such every single road user is able to this his or her part in terms of safety when on the road, I have with very much confidence that the occurrence of road accidents would decrease significantly. With all the points given, I would like to reiterate my stand that listening to music or being glued to our mobile phones increases the risk of road accidents occurring.

Commentary on Orchard Road Facelift siealzxzx

The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) had recently just completed its $40 - million makeover of Orchard Road. The makeover was done in hope to improve aesthetic look and feel of Orchard Road. Though this was done with good intentions, it allowed many to criticise on the government's part on their decision for such a makeover. Personally, I feel that decision made by the government was not the right one.

Now firstly, like I've mentioned before, the makeover was done in hope to improve the aesthetic features of Orchard Road. The government had done so in hope to attract more visitors to Orchard Road. By attracting more visitors and possible customers, it is hoped that the businesses in Orchard Road would improve. However, in the light of its upgrading activities, it had affected a nmber of businesses in Orchard Road district instead. Many pedestrians and visitors in Orchard Road had already found the pathways to be crowded and congested. The problem was further amplified with the widening works that was being done. There was also the problem of the disruptive and annoying noises made by the construction works. Such things not only destroyed tourists and shopping regulars "shopping mood", but it also annoys them. It also gave a bad impression of Orchard Road. A couple who was holidaying in Singapore thought that Orchard Road would be prettier and nicer, similar to the travel books. They did not expect it be so noisy with so much construction during their visit. Another couple found Orchard Road to be a disappointment. The construction work had indeed affected visitors’ point of view of Orchard Road. It also destroyed Orchard’s Road image of the premiere shopping street in Singapore. Not only that, it had affected businesses. Thus, we can see the decision for construction works to be questionable. After all, it defeats the purpose of decorating the area when instead, it causes unhappiness from customers.

The decision is further questionable. After the revamp had finished recently, not many people had noticed the changes in Orchard Road. A poll was conducted with hundred people, asking if they noticed any different in Orchard Road. Out of the hundred, forty of them did not notice anything different. That is indeed a large amount of people. Not only that, quite a number of people found the revamp to be rather impractical. One of such things was the flower totems that were placed along the pedestrian mall. Some found them to be annoying as they block your view. Others also questioned about the glass panels that were placed at Orchard Road. Some found them to be rather dangerous if it were to be hit and broke. There were even suggestions that more should be spent on cleaning the area of Orchard Road that was rather dirty, with leaves everywhere. However, not everything was seen as a waste of money. The widening of the pathway had given visitors more space to walk, especially during weekends when it tends to get crowded. The glass panels were also seen as complementary objects in portraying the theme of Orchard’s Road lush greenery.

Orchard Road is Singapore’s main shopping district. Improving it is important especially when it comes to attracting more tourists to Singapore. However, before even improving the overall looks and appeal of Orchard Road, the government should instead spend more money on maintaining the area first. What is the purpose of making a place so grand when in a few months or years, it will look as filthy as ever. Upgrading works is of course important. But would it be safe to invest such a great amount of money, especially in such current times when the world is facing economic problems. Almost everyone is cutting back on expenses. Will such a move upgrading appeal attract more tourists and visitors? Or would it simply be just cutting down prices for customers?