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Discuss the impact of the Integrated Resort (IR) on Singapore’s tourism industry- Jun Jiang

Introduction
In the near future, the future of Singapore's tourism will be largely depend on the 2 new Integrated Resort. The Integrated Resort will no doubt contribute significantly to Singapore's overall positioning as a global tourist attraction which will increase Singapore's tourist attraction figures to 15million by the end of 2015. However there are several impacts that Singapore will face when the Integrated Resort finally starts business, in a good or bad way. The good part of having a Integrated Resort is that it will generate more job opportunities to Singapore. The bad part of having an Integrated Resort having a casino in it, means that Singapore will have to add another problem into their account, which is the gambling problem.

Benifits of IR
An IR will generate significant economic benefits for Singapore. Singapore takes by example of Las Vegas in which 1.6 billion was spent to develop the Bellagio in Las Vegas and 2.4 billion will be spend to develop the upcoming Wynn Las Vegas resort. Singapore would want to be the Las Vegas of South East Asia as Las Vegas boosted their own tourism by attracting 36 million visitors each year with just less than 2 million in popularity. The Integrated Resort will draw tourist mostly from China, Malaysia, Thailand and also Indonesia which more of the purpose coming after the building of Integrated Resort will to visit the Casinos after Singapore has lifted the ban of Casino gambling after 40 years.
The Integrated Resort will no doubt increase more job opportunities and increase the economy benefits for Singapore. The IR project is one of the project that Singapore is pursuing to boost its tourism appeal and generate economic growth. IR is an important project that can significantly enable Sinagpore to capture its fair share of the potentials that Asia can create with the economic growth of China.

Statistics
1970 579,000
1975 1,324,000
1980 2,562,000
1985 3,031,000

1990 5,323,000

1995 7,137,000

2000 7,691,399

2005 8,942,408

By this table it shows that Singapore's tourism is increasing yearly. So after the building of IR, Singapore is hopeful that by 2015, it will have more than 15 million tourists visiting Singapore.

Problems Faced
Researches has found out that Singaporeans has spend around SGD 900 million in overseas gambling casinos, which for a small country like us is quite frightening. So in order to solve the gambling problems, the government has to improvise measures to counter the problem so that the country will not see many cases of broken families caused by gambling.
1 of the ways that the government has found out is the imtroduce of the entrance fee payment scheme, which Singaporeans have to pay SGD 100 dollars in order to get into the casino. This way, it will hugely discourage Singaporeans to enter the casino because of the large amount of entry fee they have to pay in order to get into the casino.

Summary of the Website
This website gives us a very indept information of what the Integrated Resort is all about. There are different questions that answers the problems that the Integrated Resort will post after its completion. Questions like:
Why do Singapore has to build the Integration Resort.
What are the economic benefits for Singapore from the Integrated Resorts.
The pros and cons of having casinos in the Integrated Resort.

Resource:Ministry of Trade and Industry, SG. "About the Integrated Resorts". Retrieved May 27, 2008, from World Wide Web: http://www.singaporeintegratedresorts.com.sg/gov/

Evaluation of Resource
This website is very detailed and useful as it answers to all questions that can be asked. The website is very reliable and relevant as it comes from a governement website.
Overall it has succeeded in its purposely of telling the pros and cons of the Integrated Resort, and prepares Singaporeans when the actual thing really arrives. Preventive measures will be taken to prevent over doze of Singaporean gamblers.

Discuss the developments in the area of world fashion design - Phua Rui Rong

Introduction to Fashion Design

Fashion design is the applied art dedicated to clothing and lifestyle accessories created within the cultural and social influences of a specific time. Fashion design is different from costume design due to its core product having a built in obsolescence usually of one to two seasons. A season is defined as either autumn/winter or spring/summer. According to the resource, clothing of any time period are studied by schools as costume design, where only after 1858 the clothing created are considered fashion design.

Fashion designing have been considered to be a trend in modern days because people wanted to wear nicest clothes on themselves. Clothes have surpassed its original purpose, which is to keep the body warm. Instead, it has become an icon, a way of expressing themselves by people.

Summary of the Contents from the Resource


In the early 20th century, all high fashion originated from Paris, France, where almost all fashion magazines from different countries sent their editors to the Paris fashion shows. Department stores sent buyers to the Paris shows, where they purchased garments to copy and openly stole the style lines and trim details of others. Both made-to-measure salons, and ready-to-wear departments, featured the latest Paris trends, and adapted to the stores' assumptions about the lifestyles and pocket books of their targeted customers. Until the late 20th century, fashion has slowly becoming a globalize icon. Popular styles were adopted all over the world, especially those from the western. Modern fashion have now look up to designers like Miuccia Prada for reference in technology and skills who have introduced quality textiles and modern technology into their collection.

Fashion designers should be able to dictate what their customers should wear. They are to draw up a design for the clothing and then show it to the clients. If the client liked the design, they will order it and the resulting garment will make money for the fashion house the designer belongs to.

According to the resource, there are three different types of fashion design, namely, haute couture, ready-to-wear and mass market. Haute couture means "made-to-measure" and may be used for any garment that is created for a specific client. It is a protected term officially used by companies that meet certain well-defined standards set by the Chambre Syndicale de la Couture. Ready-to-wear are clothes that are presented by fashion houses twice per year to showcase to customers of their latest during a period, Fashion Week, each season. Although ready-to-wear clothes are not made for specific customer, choice and cut of fabric are taken great care of. It has got a high pricing because only small quantities are made to ensure exclusivity. Mass market design clothes targets a wide range of customers and therefore clothes are made in large quantities and many standard prices. Mass market designers usually creatively use cheap materials to produce their fashion clothes. They use simple production technique which can be easily produced using machines and therefore resulting in that the end product can be sold at a much cheaper price.

Fashion design requires designing a collection. It has to be well planned and researched, so that each item in the collection fits and complements one another. Then it become a style and a designer or company being known for that. Before doing that, a skill in predicting of future trends is important. Designers have to know what is the fashion going on and imagine how it is going to lead on to the next trend. Understanding the customers’ needs is essential here, designers can able to know it through looking at the pass designs which are popular and not popular.

Imaginations have to run wild and designers have to choose a theme to create inspirations and make sure it is going to cause a visual impact. Next, into the design phase, designers have to come up with a design for the final garment and making it out and test the final product on a fit model.

Designers can work in several ways, through free-lancing, working in-house or setting up a company themselves to have products sold under their own label. The gross average income for majority of the fashion designers is between $13,440 and $93,000. In modern days, most designers emerged from design education schools, for example like Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design in London and The Royal College of Arts in London. Fashion designers these days usually start off by specializing in a particular area of design, such as teenage wear or men’s day wear. It is easier to stay focus and be very good in one area, be known to the public and then money will come in.

In modern days, major countries have adopted and established their own fashion industry. However, only five nations have established international reputation in fashion design and they are United Kingdom, France, Italy, Japan and the USA.

In Singapore, we also have our own design schools and there are a lot of emerging designers coming up and some of their designs are highly appreciated. However, they are still steps away from bringing them out to the international stage. I believe that in the near future, our designs will establish a reputation internationally and be adopted by people from other countries.

Resource used:

Wikipedia: The free encyclopedia. (2008, May 20). FL: Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. “Fashion design.” Retrieved May 21, 2008, from World Wide Web: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fashion_design

Resource Evaluation

This article contains a lot of information on fashion design which are lay out very systematically and logical. I believe it is a reliable source and can be trusted because the author has not express any biasness towards any particular fashion industry and does not exaggerate on how great the industry has developed to. In general, it gives anyone who wanted to know about the development of the fashion industry and the different areas of it a detailed understanding on the topic.


Discuss the impact of drugs abuse on the Youths - Siti Hasmah


Introduction
Drug abuse among the youths has been occurring not only in Singapore but also other countries in the world. But I must say that this problem has decreased thanks to effective drug prevention and programs held by respective organisations. For example in S'pore,the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) under the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) holds Anti-Drug Campaigns and Competitions on an annual basis. This is to influence the youths in our country how serious this problem can be and how we can avoid it. CNB and MHA has held this campaigns in primary and secondary schools.Some activities and campaigns that are held in S'pore:
  • Anti-Drug Exhibitions
  • Anti-Drug Art Competition
  • DanceWorks! (1998
  • Anti-Drug Ambassador Scheme (2005)

Summary
This website gives an in depth of the youths abusing drugs. There are different points in this website that helps users like the youths to give them an eye-opening experience. Points like; 1. The different common drugs that are used
2. Reasons given by the youth
3. Parents
4. Drug prevention
In this website, there are also pictures and advices given by the experts and professionals that may come in handy.

Common drugs that are abused
There are many illegal substances abused today. There are others such as over-the-counter medications, household products and legitimate pharmeceuticals (medicines) that are abused. Here are some list of the different categories of drugs:
  1. Prescription drugs
  2. Cannabis
  3. Heroin
  4. Inhalants
  5. Steroids
  6. Over the counter (OTCs)
Reasons for taking drugs
Young people offer a number of reasons of using drugs; most often they cite a desire to change the way they feel or in other words, 'to get high'. There are also other reasons such as; low self esteem, curiosity, availability of drugs, to be accepted by their peers and to feel like an adult or sophisticated.Young people are easilky influenced therefore there are early signs of risk that may predict them to take drugs. Some do it because they are associated with drug abusing peers, a lack of attachment with their parents, aggressive behaviour and sometimes even academic failure. Drugs are treated as a "cool" thing to youths just like smoking and alcohol.

Do parents play a part?
Adults do play a part. Many adults are in denial about drug abuse and its this type of attitude that engage youths to drug using behaviour. Parents should be educated about drugs themselves. Some parents may be afraid to confront the realities of drug abuse. Parents can also change this by oaying more attention to their kids. Find a way to talk to them and be better educated regarding this issue.

Drug Prevention
Effective drug abuse prevention interventions help:
1. Prevent risk behaviours before drug abuse occurs;

2. Prevent further abuse or addiction from occurring

Communities, agencies and youth need to work through the following key steps (4):
1. IDENTIFY specific drugs and other youth problems in a community.

2. BUILD on existing resources.

3. DEVELOP short-term evaluation and monitoring goals related to selecting and carrying out the prevention programme.

4. PROJECT long-term goals of the programme so that planning and resource allocation are available into the future.

5. EVALUATE the prevention programme on an ongoing basis.

Evaluation of resource
I feel that this website is very useful and detailed. It also provides pictures which make it look more interesting and colourful. The information provided is reliable and relevent. As a whole, this website has succeeded in educating the public especially the youths in making them more aware about my topic. Drug abuse is a sensitive issue and it is mainly in the mind. Youths can change given the correct guidance.

Resource:
http://www.learningforlife.org/lfl/resources/99-349.pdf

Discuss the developments of Breast Cancer Research - Gwendolyn Phua


Introduction
Breast cancer starts in the cells of the breast. Worldwide, breast cancer is the second most common type of cancer after lung cancer and the fifth most common cause of cancer death. Worldwide, breast cancer is by far the most common cancer amongst women, with an incidence rate more than twice that of colorectal cancer and cervical cancer and about three times that of lung cancer. The symptoms of breast cancer are lumps found on the breasts or thickening of the breast tissue, having discharge from the nipple and any unusual appearance, sensation or pain. Breast cancer is a malignant tumour that starts from cells of the breasts. A malignant tumour is a group of cancer cells that may invade surrounding tissues or spread to distant areas of the body.The disease occurs mostly in women, however men can get it too.
In 2005, breast cancer caused 502,000 deaths worldwide (7% of cancer deaths; almost 1% of all deaths). The number of cases worldwide has significantly increased since the 1970s. It is known that researchers/ scientists as well as non-profit organizations around the world have been searching to find a cure to breast cancer, but to no avail. Up to this date it is found that there is no cure to breast cancer. However, there are treatments and preventions to breast cancer. The idea is to starve breast cancer cells of the estrogen that they need to grow.

Summary of the contents from the resource
There's no quick cure for breast cancer. However, there are many effective treatments. Once a diagnosis of breast cancer is confirmed, the exact treatment used, how soon it's given and how long it takes all depends on several factors, including:
  • The stage of the tumour (how far it has spread) and whether there is secondary cancer
  • The receptor status of the breast cancer
  • The general fitness of the patient
  • The menopausal status of the patient
  • The woman's own wishes
Treatment
There are many treatments and prevention methods for breast cancer, one such treatment is Hormonal Therapy also known as systemic medicine where a patient diagnosed with breast cancer goes through a full body medicine used to lower the risk of breast cancer from recurring or developing again. The goal of hormonal therapy is to get rid of cancer cells anywhere in the body that might be left behind after initial treatment with surgery, chemotherapy, or radiation. For many women plagued with breast cancer, hormonal therapy can be just as important as the other forms of treatment. In fact, hormonal therapy can be even more effective than chemotherapy where the idea is to starve breast cancer cells of the estrogen that they need to grow. Hormonal therapy can be used to lower your risks of breast cancer, eliminate the chances of the cancer cells to recurr as well as to shrink the size of an existing tumour. Though wonderful, there are also side effects to hormonal therapy where patients might experience mood swings, bloating and weight gain etc.

Prevention
Adding on to the above, there are also ways to prevent breast cancer. It has been researched by researchers form Canada that Vitamin D may reduce breast cancer risk, where women with Vitamin D deficiencies are more likely to have their cancer cells spread faster. It is reported that 3/4 of women who had Vitamin D deficiency are those being diagnosed with breast cancer. The study further adds to a growing body of evidence that vitamin D, made when sunlight hits the skin and used to fortify many foods including milk, is important for preventing chronic diseases such as breast cancer. Another prevention method is involving oneself in physical activity as it has been researched on that this lowers the risk of having breast cancer. Premenopausal women who spend much of their leisure time in physical activities, especially during adolescence and early adulthood, are less likely to develop breast cancer than their more sedentary counterparts, according to a report in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. Prior research has linked physical activity with a reduced risk of breast cancer in postmenopausal women, where it is believe that activity between 12 and 22 years of age contributed most to the reduction in risk of breast cancer. The investigators found that the amount of activity needed to a achieve a 23-percent reduction in risk was roughly equivalent to 3.25 hours of running or 13 hours of walking per week. "These results suggest that consistent physical activity during a woman's lifetime is associated with decreased breast cancer risk," the researchers concluded.

Source From :
Reuters Health, PA. (2008, May 16). "Research News". Retrieved May 27, 2008, from World Wide Web: http://www.breastcancer.org

Evalution of source
I feel that this website provides useful and relevant information on issues relating to breast cancer as well as recent research on breast cancer. The contents of the information given is reliable and trusted as their main focus of this website is basically to provide the public with relevant and useful sources, where they are able to educate the public on the issues of breast breasts. It gives the public and people who are interested in finding out more about the issue a better understanding. Furthermore, the organisation is also fervent in search of a cure for breast cancer.

Discuss the impact of computer crime on business - May Lei Thiri


Introduction
We know that Computer Crime is a serious issue for businesses around the world but it is almost impossible to state exactly how big actually it is. Apparently most cases of computer crime are committed by employees and other insiders who have access to computers for legitimate reasons but then abuse these privileges.
The possible crime can be called "Hacking" which is the spectacular crime that the media focus on.One of the blogs stated that Fraudsters attempted to steal approximately £220 million from the bank by entering the building as cleaning staff and connecting hardware bugs to the keyboard sockets of the bank’s computers. The bugs captured keystrokes to reveal account details and other information. This case is extremely the biggest losses because of hacking.

What is Hacking
Hacking is actually done by Hackers who are much more interested in finding security flaws and understanding how they threaten network and computer security. Those Hackers are busy trying to understand how the system works, whether that be as a means to exploit it or to better understand it.
The consequences of hacking are stealing computer service or intercepting functions of a computer. This also includes hacking for financial gain, hacking that disrupts other computer users, espionage by hacking, life threatening consequences of hacking, and trafficking in hacking tools and passwords.

How to Prevent from Computer Crime
As The computer crime cases are widely happening in this world todays,we have to consider for the preventions to avoid these crimes.
Mainly,"How do credit card companies protect their customers' privacy?"as nowadays people are using credit cards.
Protecting credit cards in the contracts and promises to pay remain valid could be considered data protection and does concern protection of personal information. The misuse of credit cards by stealing the numbers and committing fraud is an issue of invasion of privacy. If this fraud is done by a hacker then perhaps more than the criminal law a private law tort of invasion of privacy could be an action in court.

Summary
This website explores computer crime as well as the functions of laws and cases concerning unauthorized access to computers. At the same time , it shows the nature of harms involved once a computer has been accessed by a computer criminal.It also explains "what is Computer Crime". As we all know Computer crime is basically an illegal, unethical, or unauthorized behavior involving automatic data-processing and/or transmission of data.As one of the popular computer crime is Hacking, the website shows all cases of Hacking and laws to deal with. It also mentions infamous hacking cases in US which was the person's software(WORM) that committed the unauthorized access, which is really interesting.There are also some other cases of computer crimes involving fraud (e.g. Credit Card Fraud) as well as laws dealing with it. Other than Fraud and Hacking, it includes such crimes as theft, child pornography, abuse of various sorts or stalking.


Resource used :
Peter Timusk .Computer crime: is hacking really that bad? An exploration of the cases and laws concerning unauthorised access to computers (Carleton University, Department of Law). Retrieved May 27 ,2008, from world wide web : http://www3.sympatico.ca/ptimusk/LAWS4908.html

Evaluation of the resource
The main purpose of the website is to provide the information about the various cases of computer crimes to the public.
From this website, I got to learn more about the different cases of computer crimes happened in the world. It provides the storylines why it all happened and what would affect to people once crimes has been made via internet.
The target audiences for this webiste are public and researchers in order to improve better knowledge in the cyber field.
Though the website is not really organised as it is a very long blog with many headings, it is an interesting website. It is worth-reading.


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