Movie of the Year (2007)

Transformers

Well, it may not have the best storyline or acting, but it was by far the coolest!

Torch;D

Most pointless activity (2007)

Changing governments in South-east Asia.

We seen the failure of the monks in Burma. We seen Thaksin's party take back power in Thailand. And we seen yet another failed coup in the Phillipines.

Natasha Romanov

Debate of the Year (2007)

Is there a God? Does religion do more harm than good?

Well, that were big questions brought up by atheists in late 2006 that lasted throughout 2007. Although not sufficiently structured, the atheist managed to irk religionous groups enough to produce several rebuttals.

the 198

Technology Breakthrough (2007)

iPhones

It responds to tilting, has a touch interface, and responds like an iPod. What more do you want? Yes, it acts as a phone too.

November Foxtrot

Book of the year (2007)

Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows

Is there any other book that can gather as much attention as this? The swan song of Harry Potter will stay that way.

But 2007 was a competitive year. So contenders include, Captain America #25 (Death of Captain America) and The God Delusion.

Nurlisa

Worst International News

Mass gunning in America

We've seen in in Virginia Tech, and a recent mall killing. When's it going to stop?

Natasha Romanov

Best International News (2007)

Shift in Power

Japan, Australia, Britain and France has seen a shift in leadership, and three of them, a change in government. It's good, because all four of this countires have been pretty stangant economically over these years, So it's time for a change.

Natasha Romanov

Worst Local News (2007)

Numerous drowning cases

I know Singapore is an island. But that's no excuse to having high drowning cases, especially for this year. We need to be more aware of this.

Ben Tan

Best Local News (2007)

Ok, everyone, it's time for the best and worst of 2007! Here it goes!

Singapore soccer team is one step away from World Cup 2010!

No, it's not a fake. It's true. Ever since beating Thailand for this year's Tiger Cup, Singapore soccer team officially now does not suck. And their goal of reaching the world cup is that much closer! They even drew with China 0-0!

If they get past this round, they'll be in World Cup 2010!

CDI

Ho, ho, ho? No, no,no! (International News)

In Australia, a major shopping mall has banned its Santas from saying the traditional greeting "Ho, ho,ho" as it makes "unnecessary references to prositution". In other words, my dear friends, it will pollute young and impressionable minds.

What a whole lot of crap! Everything in the world has a dirty reference as long as one searches for it. What about removing the word "hooker" from rugby? Or "cookies" from candy stores? Or "puppies" from pet stores?

Natasha Romanov

The Alternative: Saying yo, yo, yo to the Ho, ho, ho.

150 days of negotiations (International News)

In Belgium, it has been a 150 days of negotiations (starting 10 June) since French and Dutch speakers disagreed on an electoral district. Driven by the need for government reform, even the King has decided to involve himself in the politics.

Well, where I come from, no one really cares much for politics. Yet, I can't believe that people would agrue for 150 days just to draw a line between two districts!

The Alternative: No one reads us anyway :P

Natasha Romanov

Learning a Practical Language (Philosophy)

Lining up to sign up for a language course, I heard the following conversation:


"Hey, what are you signing up for?"
"Italian."
"Isn't that a useless language?"
"Huh?"
"It's only used in one part of the world-- Italy."

Well, it seems that this person only seems to appreciate the practical value of things. For his information, Italian is only widely used in Switzerland, Solvenia, Croatia and San Marino. About 62 million people can speak Italian.

Let's go back to the issue. Even if a language is very unpopular such as !Kung, Latin and Navejo that does not mean that it is useless. There are so much more to language-- the origin, the style and the emotion in it. I mean, not everything should be taken at its practical value. That's one of the beauty of humanity.

The Alternative: Finding value in the worthless

the 198

Manchester United's Crisis (Sports News)

Despite 4 straight 1-0 victories in a row (including the victory at Sporting Lisbon), one question remains about the world's most popular soccer club(argubly)-- When will they score more than a goal in a match?

For this season so far, the highest-scoring club in English history just cannot seem to score. Luckily for them, they have yet to face a tough opponent yet. One can only wonder when the floodgates will open.

CDI

The Alternative: Noticing patterns in randomness

Alternative Answers (Science and Technology)

What are the flaws of evolution? What is the case of a mitochondria Eve? Did dinosaurs live along side men?

We all think that we know the obvious answers, but www.answersingenesis.com begs to differ. In fact, they list convincing arguments for alternative views on conventional science, and much of it is convincing. So we at The Alternative endores this website. Read it, and you'll be stunned.

Dr Storm

The Alternative: Just when you thought you had all the answers.

Heroes Return (Entertainment)

"Heroes", the ever popular TV series will return in its 2nd season on 24th September 2007. The show, which revolves around a group of people with special abilities such as accelerated healing factors, self-propelled flight or telepathy, is one of the highest rated of all time. Despite being stabbed at the twilight of the first season, the arch-nenemis, Slyar is set to return.

Well, why is this show so popular. Maybe it is because the world seems to be lacking of a moral figure to look up to as a "hero", especially after Mother Theresa admitted in her diraries that she did not find the "peace of God".

Torch;D

The Alternative: Finding hope in the hopeless

China to be blamed for everything? (International News)

It seems that everything seems to be China's fault nowadays. What do I mean? Well, the spread of avian flu, rise in mercury poisoning, rise in food poisoning, the rejection of Mattel's toys and even the hacking of the Pentagon's military files.

Well, is it fair to really blame China? Or is it just coincidence? Maybe it's a global consipircy to undermine China's growing influence in the world stage. My advice-- don't ponder too much.

In other news, China to to be blame for Singapore's increasing suicide rates, the increasing crime rates in Malaysia.....

The Alternative: Righting wrongs and Wronging Rights

Ben Tan

The flaws of Carbon Dating (Science and Technology)

[Editor's note (26/09/2010): I wrote this post when my understanding of theology was juvenile and of science, even worse. At the time I made this post, I should have heeded the advice of not writing about something I knew nothing about.

I have since rejected that creationsim as scientific, but I choose to keep this post in its original form to remind myself of how ignorant I once was.]



How do you tell how old a fossil is? Or how long a body is dead? Or the age of the earth? Well, one method is to use carbon dating.

As any good upper secondary physics student should know, carbon dating works using the principle of radioactive decay of carbon-14. Most carbon on earth exist as carbon-12 but a small percentage exists as carbon-14. So even some of the carbon we eat of we breathe is radioactive. Yes, you my friend, are radioactive.

So when the the organism dies, it stops taking in carbon. The carbon-14 slowly decomposes with a predictable rate similar to the graph above. (The y-axis represents radioactivity/mass of carbon-14, while the x-axis represents time.) Hence by finding out the radioactivity of the subject, we can deduce the time of death.

However, there are many flaws to this method. For one, it assumes that the ratio of carbon-12 and carbon-14 in the atmosphere is constant throughout the ages. Well that is not really true. We have to concede that at certain periods in history, the ratio is significantly lower due to the the Industrial Revolution, the comsic flares from the sun,the atomic age and if you believe it, the Genesis flood.

Secondly, it assumes that organismes take up carbon-14 at the constant rate. Some plants do not, and we definitely cannot be sure for fossils.

So do not be so eager to accept whatever your textbook says. In other words, the world could only be a few thousand years old.

The Alternative: better than any newspaper or textbook.

Dr Storm

Armed NSF caught at Orchard Road (Local News)

Corporal Dave Teo Ming was arrested at Orchard Road at 8 pm yesterday after a 20 hour manhunt. The full-time National Serviceman had gone missing during his own guard duty and possessed a SAR 21 rifle and some ammunition with him.

I cannot believe that someone who would finished his service in the army in a month's time would commit such a moronic act. I simply cannot comprehend it.

Ben Tan

Taliban releases Korean Hostages (International News)

On the 30th of August 2007, the last of the Korean hostages was released by the Taliban. Captured on the 19th of July 2007 while travelling in a bus during a missionary trip, the fate of the Koreans was left to chance until the Korean government enterred talks with the terrorists. Despite losing two of their number, the remaining twenty-one have returned safely to Korea.

Now the problem is a new one. Although I glad and relieved for the Koreans, we have seen that a sovereign government was willing to negoiate with known terrorists. We see a new standard and compromise set. Whether money was involved is not an issue; instead we must wonder in this day and age if that counts as a compromise or a moral choice. I personally am not too sure where I stand on this issue.

Natasha Romanov

Solar-powered Handphone! (Technology)

Chinese company HiTech Wealth telecommunications released the first ever solar-powered handphone. It costs US$510 and provides 40 minutes of talktime for every hour in the sun.

Well, it's a cool phone, but wayyyyy too expensive. I don't really trust its effectiveness too. I mean like the phone will be in your pocket most of the time, right? Only time will tell if it will replace conventional handphones.

November Foxtrot

Punisher Banned From Libraries (Local News)

As of 28 May, local libraries removed all Punisher comics from their shelves. This is due to a concerned mother who complained that her 12 year old son was reading about sex and nudity in a "Punisher" comic book.

Well, ladies and gentlemen, all it takes it's one complaint to have a book removed. Maybe the dear staff and mother did not know the book was rated "MAX", meaning for matured readers only!

Ben Tan

5 drownings in 2 months (Local)

Well, it is a saddening case in Singapore. It's true; other than car accidents, drowning is the leading cause of children's deaths.

What must be done. Some say employ more lifeguards or make swimming lessons compulsory, while others say we should start fencing swimming pools.

However, these measures do not solve the root of the problem. We need to get kids to start listening from young, and start obeying authroity. If they kept to the rules, I'm absolutely sure the cases will drop.

Dr. Storm

Forgiveness: A lost Virtue (Philosophy)

Recently, one of my friends made a career-killing blunder. He now wonders if the company and his colleagues can ever forgive him. This brings us to a question-- are we lacking in forgiveness?

Talk all you want about the yellow ribbon project. It's a fact that once you get a criminal record, you will find it hard to get a job. You see it in sports-- players in top flight clubs will find it hard to return once they screw up. Look at Fabian Barthez, 1998 World Cup winner. H ended his career with a whimper.

However forgiveness is a necessary virtue. Research has shown that people who hold on to grudges are more likely to suffer from health problems than those with none. Worse are those who cannot forgive themselves.

Ultimately, one has to acknowledge that no one is perfect. Therefore we should forgive. The mistake has to be punished, but the person forgiven. Afterall, forgiveness is the crux of most unhappiness.

the 198

Christopher Lee goes to jail (Local News)

Local celebrity Christopher Lee was sentenced to 4 weeks in jail after being a "cowardly" driver in a hit-and-run accident.

Maybe the Yellow Ribbon Project will have some star power next year! They could rope in Paris Hilton, you know.

Ben Tan

Spiderman 3 Review (Entertainment)

Well, the long anticipated wait for Spiderman 3 is over. Was it worth it? Let's find out.

The movie kicks off with a short slideshow of the previous two Spiderman movies. It then reveals how popular Spiderman is to New Yorkers. In fact, everything seems to be going well for Peter Parker, the face behind Spiderman. His career is stable, he's doing well in school, his girlfriend Mary Jane is a boardway star, and his best friend Harry is sane again. However, upon the discovery of his uncle's real killer, things go downhill of our hero. He then turns to an alien symbiote to slove his problems.

Unlike the first two movies, the storyline of Spiderman 3 was a bit messy and lacked a suitable pacing. Parker's relationship with Mary Jane is inconsistent, and the Sandman had very little character developement. The action scenes on the other hand were exciting and refreshing. Parker's duel with the Green Goblin at the start of the film was breath-taking.

Overall: 72/100

Nurlisa

New Earth? (Science)

Scientists have discovered a planet that has the potential to host life. Five times the mass of earth, it orbits the red star Gliese 581. Dr Dimitar Sasselov of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics claims we can "go there" although it is "20 lightyears away".


So what are we going to call it? Earth -2? Counter-Earth? New Universe? Stop finding about stuff that's never really going to help us!

Ben Tan

Virgina Tech massacre (International)

On April 12, 31 people in Virgina Polytechnic Institute and State University were ruthlessly gunned down by a South Korean student. The gunman himself later commited suicide. This makes the killings the deadliest school massacre in American history.

Perhaps this is a good time for Americans to re-look its gun policy. This massacre was an accident waiting to happen. All it takes is a pyscho with a gun and all hell breaks loose.

Natasha Romanov

300 (Entertainment)

Finally, after so long, something is published!

Anyway, I went to watch "300", a movie based on a graphic novel by Frank Miller. It documents the Battle of Thermoplyae between the 300 Spartans and the millions of Persian soldiers.

Although I felt the view point of the movie was one-sided (the other Greeks were wimps and the Persians were monsters), I really liked the artisitic style, the battle speed and the sound track.

I would give the movie an 87/100.

November Foxtrot

Captain America/ Ironman: Casualties of War (Arts)

I hate it everytime Defensedefumer forces me to review comics. Afterall, ALL my book reviews are comics! So it was natural that I was particularly reluctant to read this one.

The story takes place halfway through Marvel's biggest event of the year so far: Civil War. If you are in the dark so far, basically the American government had required all metahumans to register with the state. Feeling that it oppresses human rights, Captain America leads a team to oppose the law. Ironman, on the other hand, is on the side of the government.

So the book begins with Ironman, aka Tony Stark, waiting patiently for Captain America, aka Steve Rogers, to appear. It is soon revealed that the two had been meeting frequently to resolve their problems diplomatically. To summarise, the comic is full of dialougue, with an unexpected sparring match in the end.

It may sound boring, but I would not be lying if I said this is the best comic I ever read so far! This comic clearly summarises the events of Civil War. For one, it states the main beliefs of both sides. Tony is focused on accountability, while Steve is more concerned about personal liberty. In the end, both sides are unable to persuade the other to change his stand.

A great deal of history is also brought up in the story, such as the Armour Wars, the death of Gwen Stacy and the Kree-Skrull War. Then it gets personal; Ironman accuses Steve of misusing his iconic image for his own interests and oversimplifying morality, while Captain America labels Tony as a government stooge and betraying Spiderman.

The story is aptly named "Rubicon", as the two sides leave, knowing that they will never see each other in the same light ever again.

In conclusion, this comic is a must-buy! Although the fight scene was a little irrelevant in the end, it is a generally good story with fantastic plot development.

Overall: 98/100

Nurlisa

Ghost Rider Review (Entertainment)

Superhero films are getting bigger and more frequent, but unfortunately not neccessary better. Afterall, we seen few movies of this genre that are actually worth watching (Spiderman, Batman Begins), but many that are terrible (X-Men 3, Hulk, Catwoman, Elektra). This film falls in latter level.

The movie starts of with Johnny Blaze (Nicolas Cage) selling his soul to a demon called Mephisto in exhange for his father's health. Even though Mephisto basically shortchanges him, Blaze has to serve Mephisto as a bounty hunter, or a "Rider".

While the story features great graphics and funny one-liners, the plot was hair-thin and felt disconnected at times. This was particularly disappointing as it had the potential to do well. For instance, the fight between Ghost Rider and Blackheart's lackeys felt rushed and uncompleted. Eva Mendes's character Roxanne Simpson had as much depth being Blaze's ex-girlfriend as a teaspoon.

In conclusion, like many action films nowadays, Ghost Rider features fantastic visuals, but poor storylines.

Overall: 39/100

Torch;d

Patriotism: Valueless? (Philosophy)

Patriotism is not "cool". That's the message driven into the minds of our youths today.

I recently met a teacher who complained that her upper secondary students did not know the meaning of "patriotism". It seems as if it is an outdated belief, applicable only in the horrors of the World Wars, or the revolutions of the Cold War. Afterall, all those who love their country are brain-washed, government stooges, right?

However, that is a misinterpretation. Patriotism is not love for the government, but rather, love for the nation. Currently, it is widely believed that it is cool to oppose authority. Think DX in WWE, or Prison Break. Those who value the individual's rights over the country are deep thinkers, and usually right. Please take a step back and think about it -- not all patriots work for the government. Think Nelson Mandela -- he suffered as a convict because he believed hs country could be cured of racism!

Another important think to note is that we must have a reason to love the nation. In other words, this love is conditional. It is not uncommon to hear statements such as "I love Singapore because it is a safe country", "Australia is the best place due to it's cool weather" and "I ashamed to be French as they did not win the World Cup". Whatever happened to unconditional love? Everyone seems to expect something in order to love it. As Zubir Said, the man behind Singapore's National Anthem, once said (ignore the pun), "We should uphold the land we live on."

What I am saying here, is that each of us should be responsible to the country. Although it may look as if it is limiting patriotism to a single, untangible principle, we have to recognise it for what it is -- an ideal. Those who believe in it are not brain-washed stooges, but instead mature, and convicted individuals.

The 198

Sidney Sheldon Dies At 89 (Arts)

On 30th January 2007, American author Sidney Sheldon passed away. Famed for his mystery and suspense books, he died at the age of 89 due to pneumonia.

Personally, I find it a great loss to literature. He was such a great and entertaining writer. He had a tendancy to promote female characters and involve politics, romance and revenge in his novels. The only real qualm I have is that he would protray all males as sex-hungry.

Nurlisa

Punisher: A Maniac? (Philosophy)

In case you don't know yet, the Punisher a.k.a. Frank Castle is a Marvel Comics vigilant who believes in killing criminals. He is not above torturing, exhorting or blackmailing either. Sincerely believing that all criminal scum deserves to die, he sets out on a one man war against crime.

The question is, in this day and age, are we condemning these ideas too quickly? When the police is incompentant, and the law inadequent, is it right to take justice into our own hands? Can we ever justify killing?

The 198

Elitism: The Lesser Evil? (Philosophy)

Reading Defensedefumer's blog recently, I just felt I had to write this article.

Now, on 26th October 2006, a particular Wu Shu Min wrote that Singapore is divided into to the "capable and clever" class and "sadder" class. She tells whiner Derek Wee to get over his "miserable" life and get out of her "elite, uncaring" face. To top it all of, her minister father did not apologise for her views. This leads us to a question, is elitism a necessary evil?

Now, hold on and think for a second. Most of you will be quick to condemn Shu Min to the depths of hell. However, if you really ponder, there are grains of truth in her words. It's just that she was very curt in her statements.

Our government system may be one to run on meritocracy, but often, elitism occurs. Instead of seeing everyone who works hard benefit, we see that the best benefits. Think about how only the top schools make the papers, or that only the winners are really rewarded in competitions. The best are usually the ones who care enough to give thier best, to clear the mess, or to run a country. You may complain all you want, but elitism is a neccessary evil if you want the most efficient way of doing things.

Let's face it, life is never fair. If it were, all of us would be born in the same background. Think about it; if you want to keep the best in your state, country or company, you have to continually reward him over and over again. It will be that way, and continue to do so.

Why choose the alternative when you have the best?

Ben Tan

Bullet Points #1 Review (Arts)

I hate comics. I really do. Despite New Avengers #25 putting doubt in my opinion, this comic reinforces it.

Let's start with this story. The origin of the plot is derived from the idea that a single bullet can change the course of history. It highlights World War One and the deaths of Martin Luther King and John Kennedy as examples. Fine, I'm ok with that and partially excited on the potential. Then it shows how the premature death of Doctor Erskine changes the Marvel Universe.

For the uninformed, the good doctor was the one who developed the super-soldier formula that led to creation of Captain America. As Erskine was assasinated by Nazi agents in 1940, Steve Rogers fails to be the new American hero. By the way, young Ben Parker (Peter Parker's uncle) was one of the guards killed in the assasination. Ok, everything is fine so far.

Then the lousy part comes in! It states that World War Two starts when Japan bombed Pearl Habor! Every Tom, Dick and Harry knows that the war started 2 years earlier when Germany invaded Poland! Steve Rogers is then asked to be part of the Iron Man project, without any explanation on how USA could be so advanced and yet get its butt kicked in Asia.

It could only get worse. Peter Parker, without Uncle Ben as a moral guide, becomes a wild kid. See the link? I certainly don't. Anyway, he jacks a car and arrives at a bomb testing site. He is soon turned into the Hulk by the Gamma bomb. No shit!

This premise has lots of potential, but falls short in almost every area. If there is a saving grace, it's that Steve Rogers is still protrayed the ever idealistic American. He is probably the only mainstream character not to break character.

Overall: 21/100

Nurlisa

6 Bombs Blasts Bangkok (International)

In Bangkok, 6 bombs were detonated, killing 2 and wounding 20. Nobody has yet claimed responsibility.

As if our world wasn't screwed up enough...

Ben Tan

Saddam: The End (International)

Well, well, back to the normal programmes. As you all know, Saddam, the ex-leader of Iraq is dead. He met his demise at the end of a noose.

You may not like the death penalty, or the legality of the execution, but come on, who you really defend this guy? This tyrant? This mass murderer? Unrepentant to death? There is no other alternative.

Now few would think it would be smart to mess withe the United States.

Natasha Romanov