The Ridge Feb Issue 2009

the ridge ridgeonline.wordpress.com

February 2009

A Cause for Everyone Even you can lend a helping hand Page 20

Windows 7: An Improvement over Vista? Page 40

Free tickets to Arts Festival ‘09! Page 34

MICA (P) 218/01/2008

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contents 01

ISIS 16 18 20 24 26 28 30

Homemakers Don’t Make History Isis - God of Simplicity A Cause for Everyone Film Reel - Freedom, The Very Nature of Man It’s All Blues SinTV Handle With Care

NEWS

06 Four Going on Five 08 NUS Muslim Society’s Gaza Donation Drive 10 NUS New Chief Artist Meets Student Media for First Time 12 NUS Office of Financial Aid: What you need to know

OUTSPOKEN 32

NUS Deviants

WIRED

36 Tech Buzz 38 CES Roundup 40 Windows 7: Brand new Windows or just another Vista Service Pack?

REGULARS

Two Cent Saloon Photo Story Borders Book Review Canvas Film Reel - Slave Movies World Sports Feed

photo sxc.hu

design Samyuktha

04 05 14 22 24 42

02 editorial

For eternity, it seems, the month of February will be defined by its 14th day. Valentines itself, perpetually dotted with women receiving gifts, cards, chocolates, roses, proposals (indecent or otherwise) and much more, is perhaps one of the more estrogen overloaded, female centric days. the ridge, decided to reflect this slant by dedicating our current issue to the Egyptian goddess Isis, the ideal mother and wife along with being the goddess for maidens. Outspoken reflects on the roles of mothers and wives in today’s hectic work oriented world [16-17].

With Isis also being the patron of the downtrodden, Lifestyle looks at small efforts and changes we all can make in order to help those less fortunate [20-21]. The rest of her many attributes are explored in our theme section [15-31] Another worthy cause covered by our news team, is the charity and aid efforts organized by NUS students to help the victims of the recent violence in Gaza [08-09]. Wired gets a hold of Windows 7 Beta and brings you the scoops on whether it is an improvement on vista [40-41] along with providing coverage of CES ’09 [38-39]. Finally, the ridge is giving out 5 pairs of free passes to Monique Copper who will be performing at ArtsFest ’09. Please visit our website ridgeonline.wordpress.com for more details on how to enter the contest. For any other enquiries, the email remains [email protected].

design Samyuktha

Hurrairah bin Sohail Chief Editor

isis 03 Chief Editor Hurrairah bin Sohail Executive Editor (Online) Hannah Yan Webmaster Ho Yi Jian

News Jason Hau & Lynette Lim Outspoken Kokila Annamalai Lifestyle Arzish Baaquie

Transmedia Hurrairah bin Sohail Wired Gurmesh Singh Sports Suhas Bhat

Creative Director Claryce Lum

Head of Creative Team: Design Samyuktha Santhanam Head of Creative Team: Photography Adi Yoga Copyeditor Suhas Bhat

Head of Marketing & PR Samyuktha Santhanam Secretary Sowmya Gopi Treasurer Dennis Phua

photo sxc.hu

04 news

Two Cent Saloon text Jason Hau | [email protected]

Recently there have been discussions in Singapore XXXXXXXXXX regarding education and whether exams are the best indicators for a well rounded education. Why not apply this discussion to the National University of Singapore? In my last column for the January issue of the ridge, I commented that there are many NUS students who are oblivious to the world around them, choosing to solely bury themselves within their own topics and neglecting the real world.

Examinations have long been the key determinant of how much a student has learnt of the topic at hand. Yet, with only a 13-week semester, I really wonder how much is and can be absorbed.

The length of a semester is not the only ingredient in the mix of education. The effort each individual puts in, or lack thereof, is also vital.

I recently asked a fellow NUS undergraduate what she does every day, since she appeared to be swamped with work and overloaded. Her reply was a chilling, “I spend my days streaming videos online and blog-hopping.”

design Hurrairah bin Sohail

So what we as students usually find ourselves in is the frantic “mugging” that takes place during Reading Week, when we cram information into our brains, (hopefully) stored for the exams and proceed to forget it all once they are over.

Indeed, the NUS libraries are well known to be jam packed towards the end of the semester, and core texts notoriously hard to get hold of, with so many leaving their ‘educating’ to the last minute.

04 05 News.indd 2

Could we then see it as the fault of the syllabi? Perhaps if it were structured properly, with both lecturer and student doing their own parts, there would be no need for a week to do nothing but your readings. In this sense, non-examinable modules would probably work better in the provision of a ‘better’ education.

In such modules, grades are given for consistent work throughout the entire semester, and students generally have to apply their newly acquired knowledge in more ways than simply putting pen to paper. I have personally always enjoyed non-examinable modules more. It is not because the workload is lighter, which in reality is usually the very opposite, with nonexaminable modules having a heavier workload throughout the entire semester.

The fact of the matter is, spreading the assessment throughout the semester ensures that we are truly learning, and not simply memorizing formulae and facts, and finally regurgitating these information memorized for just one day and one paper.

In recent news reports, it has been reported that the Ministry of Education are already planning to scrape examinations for Primary 1 and 2 students, a clear indication of a more holistic and less examinationfocused education. Why should this ideal apply for us as university students?

After all, is it not the grade that matters, but what you take out from your time in university?

2/4/2009 10:58:39 PM

news 05

A Thousand Words ... text Lynette Lim l [email protected]

photo Jason Hau | [email protected]

As we move plunge full on into the semester, things are getting heated up.

Piles of readings are slowly burying us under while we fight to get on top of them. We have got seemingly endless project meetings, and tutorials to complete. Then there are other noncurricular activities, and attending to our slowly fading social lives.

The sight of a furry, busy tailed creature scampering up a tree during the lunch rush hour can bring that smile to your face and that spring to your step that you never knew you had been missing. Slow down, put your life on hold, do not end up missing the simple joys of life passing you by every day.

“A chance to breathe while sitting at a red light. You look around, reflecting on your life... You break the mould when running through the tolls - speeding through your whole life.” Jonny Lang, “Red Light”

04 05 News.indd 3

design Hurrairah bin Sohail

Yet as we blind ourselves in the midst of the hustle and bustle, we are missing the simple pleasures in life.

2/5/2009 2:31:08 AM

06 news

Four Going On Five

This article is a follow-up to the ‘Level-4000 FASS modules to carry 5 MC from next academic year’ article which was published in the January 2009 issue of the ridge. We dig in deeper into the issue, seeking to explain the unanswered questions posed in the last article. text Chrissy Poon | [email protected]

Lynette Lim | [email protected]

From Academic Year 2009/2010, all Level-4000 modules in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS) will be amended to carry five modular credits instead of the current four.

Many FASS students expressed concern, with attitudes ranging from disgruntlement due to the sudden change, to qualms of unresolved CORS technical matters. FASS dialogue session to address issue

According to Associate Professor John Richardson, Vice-Dean of FASS, the purpose of this policy change is so that students will have to do fewer modules in order to graduate.

This is aimed at benefiting Honours students, helping “with the focused in-depth study that is characteristic of the Honours programme”.

This would allow students to concentrate and focus, and to provide them with “a better education and time to think and digest”. “The policy has been carefully thought through and is being introduced for sound educational reasons,” he said.

design Felicia Ong

“The implementation is something we have put much thought into. At present, I am convinced we have found the best way of introducing the new policy.”

That being said, he expressed that arguments “based on principle and those concerning the student population as a whole” from students would always be welcome.

Lee Meixian | [email protected]

In light of this, a dialogue session was scheduled for FASS students on Tuesday, Feb. 10, at 4 p.m. in Lecture Theatre 14. (Please check our online portal @ ridgeonline.wordpress.com for the coverage of the dialogue session.) “We will set out the rationale for the change, and its implementation. We will also address students’ questions,” said Prof Richardson.

“Addressing students’ concerns is at the forefront of our thoughts,” he added. Non-FASS students about the five MC Lvl-4000 modules Amongst non-FASS students who are aware of this situation, the consensus was generally positive.

Nevertheless, students were more hesitant to push for the implementation of this policy in their respective faculties. Third-year computer engineering student, Dhawal J. Shah said, “I have no strong inclination that this be implemented in my faculty.”

“In Engineering, we have to fulfil a certain number of breadth and depth modules. Having five MCs for a level four module won’t really help us”. Abhinav Sharma, a second-year electrical engineering student also expressed his reluctance to implement this policy in his faculty. “Reducing level 2000/3000 modules [in Engineering]

news 07

is not wise as it might create anomalies in accreditation issues,” he said.

Undergraduate Research Opportunities Programme in Science (UROPS).

This view was shared by fourth-year computing student, Low Yong Sheng.

Ashraf Kassim, Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, said, “Most modules in the upper two years of study involve design, or project type modules. These modules are typically more than 4MCs and some are done over two academic semesters.”

“Whereas in Arts, I think it is a good move, as students can acquire deeper knowledge in their chosen major.”

“Most of our Level-4000 modules are extensions of Level-3000 modules. Implementing it in Computing would bring no changes since the number of modules would still be the same because of the prerequisites.” Science students, on the other hand, were more receptive to the idea.

Chua Hui Xiang, a first-year statistics student said, “In Science, Level 3000 and Level 4000 modules are similar. Implementing this policy will be able to accelerate our graduation”.

First-year applied mathematics student, Johnson Gan, was also for the policy implementation in Science.

“Math has many majors such as Calculus and Linear Algebra. One would still have to take basic Level-1000 modules, but with five MC Level-4000 modules, I would need to complete fewer modules to fulfil my required MCs.” Implementation in Faculty of Engineering (FOE) and Faculty of Science (FOS)?

Each NUS faculty has a different curriculum feature to cater to the education of students of the individual faculty. Despite the positive remarks expressed by science students, it would be unlikely that the Faculty of Science (FOS) will implement this policy in the near future.

According to the Undergraduate Programmes Office of FOS, Science students already have a flexible curriculum structure where they are free to read approved graduate Level-5000/6000 modules to satisfy their Honours requirements.

This flexibility also allows science students to read up to 16 MCs of research-based modules through the

Similarly, for the Faculty of Engineering, researchbased modules generally carry more than 4MCs.

Implementation of this policy would thus be unnecessary in the two faculties due to their existing structures that already address this issue of in-depth studies for Honours students.

Thus, it appears that FASS will remain as the only faculty in NUS to have this unique scheme for the near future. With the 2007 cohort being the first batch to experience the entire system, (the 2006 cohort’s breadth module requirements remain unchanged at 16MCs) we shall only see the result two years from now.

With the University Town and its proposed “tailored educational structure” also scheduled to begin operations by then, the NUS of 2011 may very well be a very different educational institution from what it is today.

08 news

NUS Muslim Society’s Gaza Donation Drive text & photo Aminurashid Juma’at | [email protected]

The National University of Singapore’s Muslim Society (NUSMS) is currently running a donation drive for the Gaza humanitarian crisis. In collaboration with Mercy Relief Singapore and with the approval of the NUS Office of Student Affairs, the NUSMS set out to hold the donation drive at various locations around Kent Ridge Campus.

This student led initiative was held as a response to the conflict between Palestinians and Israel that has seen about 1,300 Palestinians dead, 5300 injured with 34 per cent of them children. About a third of the Palestinian dead and wounded were civilians while amongst the 13 Israelis who had died, three were civilians. The NUSMS’ initiative is in tandem with similar donation drives island wide by students in the Nanyang Technological University as well as various religious groups such as the Singapore Buddhist Federation, Hindu Endowments Fund, National Council of Churches of Singapore and The Catholic Archdiocese of Singapore.

The United Nations Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon, has called for a $613 million dollar appeal to help Gaza recover after the Israeli offensive.

Gadisti, a second year Life Sciences student and a booth volunteer initially felt shy about having to go out to ask for donations.

design Carol Lim

Members (of NUS Muslim Society) felt that they need to go beyond emotional discourses and that it was pertinent to translate concern into action

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However, knowing that donating a dollar or two would go a long way in helping Palestinians who depend on foreign aid for survival, she was able to put her nervousness aside. She also believes that charitable efforts should not be restricted to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza but also to other troubled regions the world over be it man made or natural. The Director of the World Food Programme, Daly Belgasmi, remarked in a news briefing in New York that Gaza’s food supply chain has collapsed.

news 09 photo deviantart.com

Many basic food items such as cooking gas, fuel and bakeries have seen their prices beginning to rise, adding to the plight of the Palestinians whose unemployment rate has reached 70 percent.

Answering the to the UN’s Emergency Appeal for Gaza, Singapore’s Foreign Ministry has pledged US$50,000 to support international efforts in helping Gaza. This is on top of donations of more than US$100,000 raised by local communities in Singapore. Ms Nani Iryanni, a second year business major and treasurer for NUSMS told The Ridge that the political and philosophical discussions amongst undergraduates on the NUSMS Yahoo Groups sparked activist fervour. Members felt that they need to go beyond emotional discourses and that it was pertinent to translate concern into action. Ms Nani explains that monetary donations and volunteers are needed to help the donation drive a success.

The lack of manpower and cost of logistics on the other hand does not permit the NUSMS to accept food and clothes as donations.

It came out as a pleasant surprise to her that the effort has galvanized non-active members of the society to pitch in their time and hopes that the rest of the student population would help as well. So far, there has been a healthy response from the student body, drawing questions and donations as well.

Ashiq, a second year Psychology major, did not give any second thought about chipping in a coin into the box.

He says that it is sad to see political conflicts that cause social convulsions on the ground but as students, we should do what we can in our capacities to help those suffering as fellow human beings. Mercy Relief will be sending two teams to Cairo and Jerusalem to work together with the Egyptian and Palestinian Red Crescent and the UN Relief & Works Agency (UNRWA).

The money will be used to provide food, water, shelter, health care and other assistance food, water, shelter, health care and other assistance to the Palestinian Territories.

The three-week assault on the Gaza strip has left some Palestinian towns totally destroyed, electricity and water infrastructure damaged and sewage pouring onto the streets. For more information, please visit the NUSMS Official Blog Site: www.nusms.blogspot.com

10 news

NUS New Chief Artist Meets Student Media For First Time text Jason Hau | [email protected]

Professor Tan Chorh Chuan, the new President of the National University of Singapore (NUS), met members of the NUS student media for the very first time in a press conference held on Jan. 19, 2009. Prof Tan broadly highlighted his vision regarding the future of the University and answered a number of questions from the group.

“NUS is a highly respected research institution internationally,” said Prof Tan, “we need to maintain and steepen the growth we have achieved over the past 10 years and aim to be one of the top universities in the world.” With this statement, the first brushstrokes appeared on the NUS canvas.

As the press conference, organized by the Office of Corporate Relations, progressed, more details became apparent regarding the direction of NUS for the future. It was clear that the upcoming University Town, or U-Town for short, was to be a key component of the new NUS.

“U-Town will help us build up a diverse learning culture, where students will learn as a group and grow together,” Prof Tan explained. All too often in our current system, new friendships are formed at the beginning of a new semester, only to drift apart and lost completely by the end of the semester. There is no real “class” to speak off, unlike what Singaporeans have had in previous education institutes such as junior colleges and secondary schools.

This makes it difficult to form enduring friendships in university now.

design Hurrairah bin Sohail

According to Prof Tan, this is a point that U-Town will address.

By having the same group of students take modules together for up to a year, there will be a greater chance to forge long-lasting bonds among both international and local students.

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Prof Tan also hopes that students in U-Town will also be able to “gain global and cross-cultural energy” from their time there. The close proximity of U-Town to research institutes such as one set up by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology will allow for increased exposure of students to these researchers, which also raises the possibility of joint degrees with them.

This research environment was a point that Prof Tan felt was important towards the growth of NUS. An issue then developed over whether strong researchers or good teachers were more desirable for an institution like NUS. Many students have had the experience of having lecturers who were brilliant researchers and experienced academics, but rather lacking when it comes to lecturing a large group.

However, Prof Tan had a ready explanation regarding this issue. “By building up Centres of Excellence in areas such as Quantum Technology and Cancer research, we will be able to develop and draw in top notch faculty members,” said Prof Tan.

These faculty members will then be able to act as “role models that can inspire” NUS students into achieving their goals. “Being inspired is as important as being taught. The discussions will also be more cutting edge and up-todate,” explained Prof Tan.

The projected date for U-Town to take in her first batch of students is 2011, two years from now. Nonetheless, pilot tests are being carried out now among selected students across the university to test out whether the specially tailored courses are viable. This, Prof Tan explains, will ensure that the staff will have had experience and be ready by 2011. Prof Tan also touched on the importance of keeping and expanding the NUS Alumni network.

The newly upgraded Shaw Foundation Alumni House was cited as an avenue for alumni members to help current undergraduates create and maintain useful contacts.

By keeping alumni members “informed and engaged”, he hopes that a “positive spiral” will be created, where alumni members will create opportunities for students who will then act the same way when they graduate. He was pleased to announce that despite these troubling times, the amount of donations given by the alumni had doubled, thus proving the strong links that NUS has been able to maintain with her former students.

Prof Tan then assured the gathered journalists that NUS has not been too adversely affected by the current economic meltdown. With most of NUS’ funding coming direct from the government, financial assistance will “not be compromised and will receive continual support.”

A new Office of Financial Aid has also been established to help students who may be in financial need. (See next story) The amount of financial aid available to students has been increased, with the number of bursaries offered increased and the qualifying threshold lowered. In order to fund this aid, Prof Tan explained that NUS will conduct more fundraising exercises. There will also be more streamlining to gain greater utilities savings. An example of the effect of utilities savings is the raising of temperatures of air condition units to 25 degrees last semester.

According to Prof Tan, this has helped the university save a lot in costs. With the school’s financial position strong and U-Town looking to bring a new, vibrant side to NUS, it seems like this painting will be a bright and vivid masterpiece.

12 news

NUS Office of Financial Aid: What you need to know

photo http://commons.wikimedia.org

text Chin Mei Kuan | [email protected]

On Feb. 1, 2009, the Office of Financial Aid (OFA) at the National University of Singapore (NUS) was born. Previously known as the Student Financial Aid Unit (SFAU), the OFA is an expansion of its predecessor.

design Felicia Ong

In addition to overseeing all matters regarding student financial aid, OFA, which comes under the Office of Admissions, has also taken up the role of handling all matters pertaining to scholarships. According to Ms. Autumn Ong, manager of OFA, the establishment of OFA is part of plans “to optimise the University’s efforts to provide financial assistance to students”. Financial assistance offered exists in the form of bursaries, loans and work-study assistance.

“NUS is committed to a needs-blind merit-based admission policy that ensures no deserving student should be denied admission or the opportunity to complete their studies because of financial difficulty,” said Ms. Ong. In line with this commitment, the SFAU has changed and introduced a few financial aid packages prior to, and in response to the economic downturn. The financial aid packages – The new and the enhanced

Following a review of the University’s financial aid packages in early 2008, the SFAU enhanced them, with the new packages being implemented in AY08/09. In addition, to further address the financial difficulties

news 13 of students, a new loan, the NUS Cash Assist Loan, was introduced. This new loan was implemented to ensure that Singaporean undergraduates would not require any family contribution for the payment of their school fees.

photo trekkyandy from flickr.com

Under the loan, undergraduates who are permanent residents of Singapore will require only “minimal family contribution for their studies in NUS,” said Ms. Ong. She also said that there was a new financial aid scheme by the Ministry of Education (MOE) in the pipeline.

Introduced to help students whose families face financial difficulties during the economic downturn, the Short-Term Study Assistance Scheme (SSAS) will enhance existing financial assistance schemes for students in autonomous universities, according to Ms. Ong. “NUS will be working out the details of this new initiative with MOE as to how it can best benefit our students,” she added.

Financial aid application period brought forward Apart from the MOE initiative, students seeking financial assistance should also note that the application period for financial aid has been brought forward by one month. The application period starts from 1 February this year, instead of March like in previous years.

Ms. Ong explained that the decision to bring forward the application period was made “in response to the economic downturn.”

The application period will start from 1 February to 1 April 2009. “NUS remains committed to the principle that no deserving student should be denied admission or the opportunity to complete their studies because of financial difficulty,” said Ms. Ong.

“The NUS Office of Financial Aid will continue to review the financial aid schemes to ensure that financial aid is appropriately and adequately provided to needy students,” she added.

Students who want to find out more about the various financial aid and scholarship opportunities that NUS offers can do so at the Office of Financial Aid. Students can also visit the financial aid website (www.nus.edu.sg/financialaid), for information on financial aid schemes and scholarships, and how to apply for them. They may also email [email protected] or contact the Helpline at 65162870.

Office of Financial Aid (within the Office of Admissions) University Hall, Tan Chin Tuan Wing Lower Ground, 21 Lower Kent Ridge Road Singapore 119077

14 transmedia

A Long Way Gone This is the first first-hand account of how wars are fought: by children, on drugs, with AK-47s. In more than fifty conflicts going on worldwide, there are an estimated 300 000 child soldiers. Ishmael Beah was one of them. text Christel Geralyn Gomes | [email protected]

In safe, sunny Singapore, tucked in a clean campus, with all of life’s luxuries, many of us cannot even begin to imagine the nightmare of war. It is inevitable that a certain experiential disconnection might exist in the reading of it, but I would recommend the novel all the same.

The novel opens to a 12 year old Beah, joyous and creative, with a passion for hip-hop and a love for life. The glimpse into this part of his life is fleeting – a dozen pages in, the madness begins and Beah is watching a mother rock her bullet-pierced baby. You’d think that’s bad enough but the real terror begins when the rebels who massacred his family and village decide to recruit – forcefully or otherwise – young men to fight for their cause. There begins the fear-wrought and unending run for his life.

design fabian kong

Eventually, Beah finds shelter in a village protected by the national army. But as days pass and fewer and fewer soldiers return, all the boys and men are compelled to take arms and fight as well. Thus begins his dehumanisation. Beah’s memoir is breathtakingly painful, honest, raw and haunting. It is a tale of unspeakable violence told with surprising clarity, through compassionate eyes. The language in the novel is simple but compelling. Beah manages to humanise brutality and show us how even good people sometimes do terrible things.

His account of post-war healing is nothing less than remarkable. It is no less astonishing that anyone could come out of it all with sanity and humanity intact. If you ask me, everyone in the world should read this book. And to borrow from the words of Washington Post’s Carolyn See, “Not just because it contains an amazing story, or because it’s our moral, bleeding-heart duty, or because it’s clearly written. We should read it to learn about the world and about what it means to be human.”

photo www.shopcardsandgifts.unicefusa.org

A Long Way Gone is a bleeding true-life account of Ishmael Beah’s life as a child soldier. Sierra Leone’s civil war of the 1990s ravages both land and lives, forcing a nation of children to experience and partake in unspeakable inhumanity.

Isis (ỉs.t or ȝs.t) Isis is one of the most important and central of all Egyptian deities. Married to Osiris, who she resurrected back from the dead multiple times, Isis was worshipped as the ideal wife and mother as well as the patron of nature and magic. Giving birth to Horus who later became the main God of the Egyptian religion, Isis is said to be one from whom all beginnings arise. In fact it was believed that the Nile flooded and made the land fertile ensuring a good harvest every year because of the tears she shed for her dead husband. Isis was also acknowledged as a friend of slaves, sinners, artisans, the downtrodden, as well as listening to the prayers of the wealthy, maidens, aristocrats and rulers.

16 isis

Homemakers Don’t Make History Boys rule, girls drool…if they don’t work. text Kokila Annamalai | [email protected]

photo amandapandamonium.deviantart.com

design fabian kong

Everything in our official literature and our society’s perspectives will have us believe that the ideal, successful woman is one who manages to be a good wife, mother and worker. Our politicians reiterate that well-educated women should contribute to rearing economically lucrative members of tomorrow’s society while being productive elements of Singapore’s current workforce. But even extended childcare leave policies and campaign slogans such as “Children, life would be empty without them” have not worked to substantially increase the marriage and fertility rate in the country.

The government finds the educated woman’s reluctance to marry and have children problematic, mainly because of Uncle Harry’s preoccupation with eugenics. To the contrary, though, a significant portion of society champions the independent, career-oriented woman – the woman who makes no compromises, the woman who is too talented, too capable, to be a homemaker. Men find her unattainably desirable, and women idealize her position and the power it attracts. She is their torch-bearer, as she symbolizes the catching up women have done to men in the economy. She is the woman who can take care of herself, who does not need to depend on a man, who is her own person. Her identity does not come from being someone’s wife or someone’s mother, but from being herself.

“Equality is not only the opportunity to perform the roles that we were once deemed unsuitable for; equality is the freedom to choose to perform the same roles we used to and receive due acknowledgment for it.”

Studies have shown that in our society, tertiaryeducated women in professional positions are quickest to reject marriage and homemaking roles. Women who have “made it” are too good to be mere homemakers. The role of the homemaker is for poor, uneducated women. The government encourages women from such backgrounds to stay at home with their children full-time. “It is alright, the economy can do without you”, is the clear message they are sent.

This situation brings us to the question of what gender equality and feminism mean to us. It appears that proponents of egalitarianism have not instated that women should be considered equals to men and given credit for the roles they play in society. Rather gender equality has come to mean that women who are good enough to be on a level playing field with men are those women who have been able to take on professional roles on top of their traditional roles, or those women who have rejected their traditional roles in pursuit of their careers. Men, however, are not expected to perform the dual role of worker and homemaker to be considered successful. It seems laughable that this is what we call equality; because now, the woman who embraces the role of the homemaker is not only inferior

isis 17

to men, but also inferior to other women who have chosen to work. This must be considered as degeneration rather than as progress, as we have failed to fight for equal treatment and recognition for the roles women played, but rather, women have left those very roles behind to achieve equal status.

Populist images of success that are created by the government and the market pervade our notions of what productivity and contribution to society is. Mothers and wives are invaluable members of any family, community or nation. They are non-profit workers in society who are a step above non-profit organizations, as they do not receive admiration by society or national awards for their selfless service and giving of themselves. They should not have to do any more than that to be perceived as being on the same plane as professional women. Homemakers are unpaid workers, and it is very plausible that they are equally or exceedingly efficient in their roles when compared to working women. Working in the market should not be a requirement for these women to be viewed as successful.

The profile that comes to mind once the term ‘homemaker’ is mentioned is one of a woman who is lowly educated, traditional and unworldly, amongst others. These notions have to be dispelled for women to enjoy true freedom. We will be trapped in a society where men and women will never be equals as long as roles that are traditionally associated with femininity are considered secondary to roles traditionally associated with masculinity. Liberation of women in the true sense of the term will come about only when they can proudly claim that they are homemakers and be appreciated for that, without any judgment on their qualifications or achievements that render them inferior to women in the workforce.

photo sniffels.deviantart.com

photo wikimedia.org

It is a huge achievement for society that today women can be doctors, CEOs and members of parliament. Feminists have fought long and hard for such progress in thought and practice, and there is a lot to be proud of. However, equality is not only the opportunity to perform the roles that we were once deemed unsuitable for; equality is also the freedom to choose to perform the same roles we used to and receive due acknowledgment for it.

18 isis

Isis - God of Simplicity text Juliet Huang | [email protected]

There have been fervent talks of doom and gloom brought about by the recession. In light of the current situation, everything needs to be scaled down. Job expectations are the first to come to mind.

We need uplifting reminders that even recessions have to eventually end, as all things shall pass.

Perhaps this same statement can be used on expectant girlfriends or boyfriends this Valentine’s Day, in the form of a reminder to cut back on the flowers, chocolates, or cuddly soft toys.

There are many in need - your friends who are graduating and live in fear of not being able to find a job, your parents who hold closed door conferences on what happens if the retrenchment does affect them, or simply those less well-off than you.

Recent career talks have reiterated the same advice, that it is time for students to manage their expectations.

Still, this does not mean that Valentine’s Day should be let gone in vain. Instead, the recession gives us all the more reasons to celebrate it. As economies start to slow down, and unemployment steadily increases, our happiness index is in danger of quick decline.

As people lose their jobs, or are faced with a fear of doing so, moral levels dip to a low. People turn to vices to numb themselves from the crisis talk around them.

design Felicia Ong

In such times, we need assurance and optimism from the people around us that things will recover as long as we persevere.

As Valentine’s Day draws near, take it as a personal mission to still spread some love around. This should not merely be to your spouse, your girlfriend or boyfriend, but should extend to your loved ones around you.

We can do this in small ways, because a little usually goes a long way. Take a leaf from the book of Isis, who was well-known for being a serial “multi-tasker”.

In Greek mythology, Isis is one of the most well-known goddesses. She is worshipped as a perfect model for all mothers and wives. As legends go, Isis wanted to preserve her assassinated brother-husband, Osiris, so much that she hid his body after his death so nobody could try to corrupt it.

isis 19

However, his body was found by his enemies and recast into 14 different places. Isis carried back his remains piece by piece, and in the process, became impregnated by Osiris’s remains.

Touched by her kindness and perseverance, Ra, the King of the Gods, decided to bestow on her a whole host of magical powers and so she became the “Mother Goddess”. With her powers, she granted abundance and wealth to her own citizens and lands. Isis is also known as the Goddess of Simplicity because she was said to control the waters of river Nile and water was a symbol for all the basic necessities in life. She is worshipped as one from whom all beginnings sprang. Indeed, this Valentine’s Day, keep celebrations simple but sweet: be creative! Bake cupcakes for lunch. Write short, sweet post-its and stuck them in your friend’s bag. Pack a picnic basket for you and your beloved.

Give your parents a massage after work. Write them a letter to thank them for bringing you up. The possibilities are endless if you are willing to spread the love.

The story of Isis, God of Simplicity, rather than a mere love story, reminds us to persevere even in the face of adversity, because your acts of love might just be the essential twist in an otherwise sad tale.

20 isis

A Cause for Everyone Isis, the Egyptian Goddess worshipped as the ideal mother and wife, is also, among other things, known as the friend of the downtrodden. lifestyle the ridge brings you five lifestyle choices you can make to emulate the example set by her. text Samyuktha Santhanam | [email protected]

Today’s society is structured in such a manner that an individual has little time but to think about himself, his wants and his needs. The mass media, in its propaganda of capitalist values and individualism, does little to help alleviate this pattern.

However what is truly amazing is that despite all of this, there are still many people out there who dedicate their lives to altruistic goals and work tirelessly to achieve them. And indeed, we can all try and make a difference in our own small way. Which is why, taking into consideration your hectic routine, lifestyle the ridge shows you options you can consider adopting to give a hand to those around you. Additionally, for your benefit, we also rate them in terms of ease of incorporation into your lifestyle. Number of

+

= Ease of incorporation

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The easiest choice to adopt is to purchase merchandise that supports a cause or promotes fair business ethics. In this way, not only do you get your fix of retail therapy, but you have also contributed to making the world a better place. When you’re buying cosmetics, buy products that are not tested on animals. Although we are not taking sides on the arguments revolving around the necessity for animal testing, why cause harm to a life if you can help it, right? Another cause we find worth supporting is Fair Trade, which ensures that producers in third world countries get a reasonable deal on the products that they are selling, instead of being forced to sell it at extremely cheap prices. In the same vein, organic food ensures that the food has been farmed in an environmentallyfriendly manner. It is also healthier as it does not make use of chemicals and pesticides. Although these options are a little pricier than normal, what is only a difference of a few dollars to us makes a significant difference to the livelihood of third world producers, who are otherwise often exploited by the corporates.

isis h

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For those of you who are not queasy at the thought of sitting with a needle stuck in your arm for about 10-15 minutes, blood donation is an admirable way of giving back to society.

350 units of blood are needed each day in Singapore to save lives. Seeing that your body replaces the volume of donated blood within a couple of hours, and that blood donation in Singapore is a highly regulated and an extremely safe process, it is a relatively small sacrifice for anyone of us to make.

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If shopping or needles are not up your alley, there is always the easy way out of making monetary donations to a worthwhile charity. There are scores of them around and a simple Google search will reveal within seconds the options available to you. From there, you are free to choose any one that captures your fancy. Take a peek at the information bar on the side for suggestions of charities we feel are worthwhile supporting. Of course, it goes without saying that our list is by no means exhaustive.

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The well-beaten track (at least from our secondary school days) is one of volunteering at the nearby orphanage, old-age home or perhaps even a halfway house. This involves a little more commitment on your part when compared to the other options. However, you are guaranteed to have the satisfaction of having directly touched a life. If you are able to set aside some time on a regular basis for this, hats off to you. We wholeheartedly approve.

Brands that support Fair Trade

Marks and Spencers Van Houten Ben & Jerry's

Brands that support No Animal Testing

Estée Lauder Revlon Himalaya

Blood donation

Blood Donation Drive by NUS Red Cross Chapter 17th to 20th Feb 10am to 4pm at MPSH 4



Bloodbank@HSA Blood Services Group Health Sciences Authority (opp. Outram Park MRT) 11 Outram Road Singapore 169078

For a list of upcoming blood donation drives, visit http://www.donorweb.org/ singapore-bloodmobiles/

Charities

Amnesty International Red Cross UNICEF UNIFEM Action for AIDS, Singapore Beyond Social Services Mercy Relief

Orphanages

Singapore Children's Society Darul Ihsan Orphanage

Old age homes

Lee Ah Mooi Old Age Home SWAMI Home

Halfway House

Singapore Prison Service

design lee wanyu

22 canvas

Cool Dip Shen Shifa | Year 2 | FASS CNM

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Ying Zheng | Year 4 | Faculty of Engineering

send your contributions to [email protected]

24 isis

Freedom, The Very Nature of Man

design lee wanyu

photo fondosescritorio.net | geocities.com/Hollywood | sylviagarza.files.wordpress.com | movieweb.com

‘He will break loose his chains. He will decimate his enemies. He will try and try and try, against all odds, against all prejudices, to get home.’ —John Quincy Adams, Amistad text Tay Huizhen |[email protected]

“Freedom, the very nature of Man”, utters Anthony Hopkins with great conviction as John Quincy Adams in Amistad. Such a statement rings true, particularly to the unjustly imprisoned and oppressed, who decide to revolt and rebel for a better tomorrow. Unbeknownst to them, Isis was pvrobably providing her blessings along the way. More commonly remembered as the dutiful and devoted wife in the myth of Isis and Osiris, Isis is also a great goddess in her own right. According to ancient Egyptian mythology, Isis is friend of slaves and even led the downtrodden to redemption. The following films are a reminder of the triumph of the human spirit under the most oppressive conditions and its undying quest to be free. Prince of Egypt (1998) is the animated epic of the biblical tale of Moses, the Red Sea and the Ten Commandments. While the film did not have strong results at the box office, it is still an endearing family movie for many. Its lush, vivid animation makes for a visual feast and its potentv story-telling is inspirited by song and music, including the unforgettable Mariah Carey-Whitney Houston duet, ‘There Can Be Miracles’. With its soaring and uplifting melody, warbled by diva powerhouses, the notion of emancipation and struggling to be free could not be delivered more fervently.

“

isis 25

A reminder of the triumph of the human spirit under the most oppressive conditions and its undying quest to be free.

Isis is also patron goddess of sailors, but those onboard the Amistad (1997), as the ship in the film is called, are African slaves. Based on a true story of a mutiny on board a slave ship travelling from Cuba to the United States in 1839, Amistad is but another testament to Spielberg’s fluid and straightforward artistry. The inhumane conditions by which the slaves are subject to are served straight to audiences like a head on a platter, and as Cinque (Djimon Hounsou) is no longer able to tolerate the injustice, he leads a mutiny to take control of the ship. The courtroom scene, in which John Quincy Adams (Anthony Hopkins) pleads a case on the behalf of the imprisoned slaves, is cinematic rhetoric at its understated best. While the above films centre on the notion of the great slave masses rising up in collective revolt, there is also, as often, the tale of the lone hero who fights for justice against all odds. The film that shot Russell Crowe to A-list status is Gladiator (2000). A drama of the injustice done to one man and his righteous vengeance is all very common in Hollywood. But what set Gladiator apart are the amazing fight scenes and its hauntingly beautiful soundtrack ‘Now We Are Free’ by Lisa Gerrard and Hans Zimmer, which elegantly echoes the protagonist’s anguish. A delicious power struggle forms the dominant strand of the narrative, of which bears heavy resemblance to that of the following film.

‘Colossal’ best sums it up. Clocking in at a staggering three and a half hours and garnering a whopping eleven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, BenHur (1959) was the ‘Incredible Hulk’ of movies during its time. It is also one of those films that, solely based on their cinematic breakthrough and heavyweight scale of production alone, are automatically allocated a mark of prestige and hall-of-fame status. Judah Ben-Hur (Charlton Heston) is the morally-charged protagonist of the film, and he seeks for revenge when betrayed by trusted childhood friend Messala (Stephen Boyd) who condemns him to slavery in the galleys. Impressive sets and a memorable chariot race scene render this an authentic period piece.

”

Togas and desert settings aside, a film set in a more contemporary era would be the heart-warming adaptation of Alice Walker’s Pulitzer-prize winning novel, The Colour Purple (1985). As a young, uneducated black girl growing up in the 1900s, enslaved by her own father and separated from her sister, ‘the only somebody in the world who loved her’, Celie’s (Whoopi Goldberg) tale is one of optimism and beautiful strength and that empowers one to weather through life’s harsh realities. She drifts through life a lonesome but happy wanderer, mesmerized by big town sights with wide-eyed wonder and learning what it is like to love life and be a woman from the flamboyant femininity of the blues singer Shug Avery (Margaret Avery).

The stellar cast powerfully portrays the tragedy of racially-segregated America and ideas of female empowerment, and in doing so, is adequately faithful to the novel. Celie’s emancipation scene that is poignantly set during a luncheon with relatives is a compelling image as she defiantly voices her pent-up frustration and decades of resentment. An incensed Albert (Danny Glover), in a moment of jittery rage and desperation to retaliate, verbally abuses her to set up mock dominance, ‘You’re Black. You’re poor. You’re ugly. You’re a woman. You’re nothing at all’. Relishing in the choking emotions of the riveting final scene should wipe out the Kleenex. As Celie reunites with her children and her sister Nettie (Akosua Busia), and when the two old women play again their childhood hand games in the field with the setting sun as a backdrop, the ending to this story is a happy, heartfelt one.

26 isis

Isis is referred to as “one from whom all beginnings arose”. the ridge takes a look at the evolution of the blues, the root of almost all today’s popular music. While it would be presumptuous to say that the blues is the origin of all music, it is not wholly untrue to say that most popular music is in some way or form, derived from this form of music.

‘

It s All Blues

text Hurrairah bin Sohail | [email protected]

The blues take their name from the “Blue Devils”, which was a phrase used to imply feelings of sadness, melancholy and moroseness. While the exact origins of the blues are not known, it is established that it was brought to America by the African slaves.

The music sung in the fields by the workers, the lyrical themes touching on spirituality, freedom, redemption, and the simple rhythm and beat were all appropriated by the blues. It became one of the few forms of creative expression the slaves had. Most popular around the Mississippi Delta area, it was from a plantation nearby that the blues got their first icon, Robert Johnson. The story goes that Johnson sold his soul to the Devil in exchange for blues fame. With his pioneering work, Robert Johnson is known as the Grandfather of Rock ‘n Roll.

Following and influenced by Johnson were Muddy Waters and Woody Guthrie, both of whom consolidated the blues as an essential part of American folklore and an essential part of music.

design Hurrairah bin Sohail

As the years progressed the blues started breaking down into its early genres, Gospel and Country. But the interchangeability of both these titles, for what was essentially the same music, was displayed most by Johnny Cash who was classified as both. However, it was another artist on Sun records who took the blues and turned them into pop music. The prowess and technique of the old blues legends were replaced by a pretty face, hip swings and pelvic thrusts; the tempo which had always been slow was sped up, and this was how Elvis Presley began his journey to become “The King”.

Eventually, when the folksy, artsy country singer Bob Dylan went electric with his song “Like a Rolling photo media.kickstatic.com

isis 27 Stone”, the blues became an avenue of limitless possibilities. At the same time, blues guitar was launched into the stratosphere by Jimi Hendrix and his pyrotechnics, signalling the everything-goes-blues attitude which would be adopted as the default from then onwards.

In fact, from the classic era of rock ‘n roll, anybody who was a somebody; from John Lennon of The Beatles, to Keith Richards from the Rolling Stones, to Eric Clapton; was a blues aficionado. The entire golden era of popular music from the ‘60s was directly influenced by the blues. Further down the line, Led Zeppelin started doing heavier, darker interpretations of the blues which inspired the metal genre. Jazz musicians like Miles Davis used the blues note and the sevenths characteristic of the blues to give their music added feel and dimension.

The philosophy of the blues was also directly mirrored by grunge, which stripped away music to its bare bones, distortion and feral emotions. One of music’s watershed moments in the ‘90s was watching Kurt Cobain hunched over his Martin D-18E howling Ledbelly’s ‘Where Did You Sleep Last Night’. If we look at popular music today, the chord progressions, riffs and licks that we see are still borrowed from the history of blues music that preceded it. Most of alternative / soft rock can directly trace its roots back to the blues. Furthermore, current chart toppers like Justin Timberlake owe the blues a debt of gratitude. Songs like ‘Lovestoned’, ‘What Goes Around Comes Around’ and ‘Cry Me A River’, when stripped of their excessive instrumentation, are musically, lyrically and thematically blues songs at heart. There is a reason RnB is called rhythm and bass. And with songs like ‘Bleeding Love’ by Leona Lewis and ‘Mercy’ by Duffy being huge hits on charts, television channels and radio stations, it seems that the blues are still as appreciated as they ever were.

While the blues in their true “literal” form might not be as popular or widely listened-to today, it seems that an art form which prioritised the expression of the individual, improvisation and emotion can never truly not be heard. Call it Country, Gospel, Motown, Jazz, Funk, Pop, RnB or Hip Hop, it is all Blues to me.

28 isis

Lesto odo odolore modolesectet er autem nos adiat lam, vel ex et, conullaore mod (calibri 15pt italic, line height 18pt) photo Ridge Photographer’s Name (calibri 8pt bold/regular, line height 11pt)

photo sxc.hu

text Writers Name | email address

text Shahirah Mohamed Ansari | [email protected]

We live in a world of reality television and decadent drama. Television shows like The Hills, Jackass, Gossip Girl and 90210 hardly reflect reality, or impart any valuable moral or intellectual knowledge, but their popularity lies in the fact that they fulfill a basic human desire: voyeurism.

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So what if we can’t afford to live in Upper East Side penthouses or in Beverly Hills mansions? So what if our faces aren’t immaculately made-up and our hair perfectly coiffed? So what if we are clad in Topshop and Forever 21, and not Oscar de la Renta or Diane von Furstenberg? We derive vicarious pleasure from simply watching fictional characters live out our wildest aspirations.

These shows, with their requisite 20-something-yearold actors oozing sex appeal depicting fifteen- and sixteen-year-olds, often prominently feature sex, booze, and even drugs. This sends a clear message to impressionable viewers—sin is in. Discerning audiences in our age group will be able to clearly differentiate between what they can and cannot do, but for tweens and teens, who form a significant portion of the shows’ fan base, this line may be blurred. This trend of teen television shows pushing the limit and horrifying parents is not new. The themes of sex, drinks and drugs were also extensively explored in other highly popular teen drama series of yesteryear,

isis 29

such as The OC, Popular and Beverly Hills: 90210, the predecessor of today’s 90210.

Neither are these shows confined to just teenage audiences. Cashmere Mafia and Lipstick Jungle are examples of two shows that have tried to appease the entertainment needs of a generation weaned into womanhood by the wildly popular Sex and the City. Despite combining Sex and the City’s winning formula of sex, fashion and self-indulgent girl-talk, these imitations lack the introspective quality inherent in their antecedent, resulting in a contrived shallowness that can get unbearable. Despite all this, these shows enjoy high ratings in the U.S. and a significant following in Singapore as well; while intelligent, witty, and slightly more familyfriendly television shows such as Gilmore Girls and Pushing Daisies have a less expansive fan base. The latter recently faced the axe in the U.S. due to poor ratings.

So what makes these “trashy” shows so enticing and enjoyable?: the voyeuristic quality of being able to experience the unrealistic or unattainable. Television being long recognized as an outlet of escape from the drudgery of the quotidian, the popularity of shows with strong visual aesthetics, and that verge on fantastical, is somewhat predictable. In bleak times such as this, people will be looking to television, more than ever, to provide them with laughter, entertainment, and even hope.

30 isis

Handle With Care Carina explores what happens to children in Singapore when their family’s supply of money, safety and love runs short. text Carina Cassandra L. Calugcug

When I did a quick internet search on the state of orphans in Singapore, I wondered why it revealed very little substantial information.

After an interview with Anne (not her real name), who has worked in a children’s home before, I realized why I was getting precious little. ”There are not really many orphans in Singapore, so orphanages are uncommon, “Anne says. “What we do have are children’s homes.”

But if there are not many cases of orphans who have no other family, who then, are the children in these homes? Anne reveals that most of the kids come from troubled families—children for whom the family is no longer a safe place. Some are those whose parents or guardians are incapable of taking care of them; some are abandoned children. Others are those who are beyond parental control or have had a run-in with the law.

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When child abuse cases are reported (physical and sexual abuse, neglect, and emotional and psychological abuse), the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS), the leading agency against child abuse, conducts investigations. After deliberation, MCYS places the children in a care programme. In some cases, the children are placed into homes run by religious institutions. Some stay for months, others for years. The few orphans in these homes usually stay as residents, but may eventually move on to other institutions so that they are with their respective age groups. The services that institutions offer differ, depending on the different age groups and problem areas that each home focuses on. Some provide educational services, enrichment courses in music and art, and self-help skills

isis 31 development, amongst many others. Homes that cater to troubled teens and to teenage pregnancies have rehabilitation programmes and crisis pregnancy units, respectively.

A service common to all these institutions is individual and parental counseling. These counseling services aim to help the child integrate back with the family, as well as educate the parents about the child’s needs. But while their services vary in detail and implementation, these organizations share a common mission—to provide a protective environment for children and to show them that every child is wanted.

most institutions prefer volunteers who can commit for an extended period of time. Anne also believes that there is still much room for improvement in creating awareness on the plight of abused and neglected children in Singapore and cultivating the spirit of volunteerism in the society.

Anne acknowledges that working in a children’s home can be physically and emotionally taxing. The load is compounded when the children act up and show behavioral problems. Anne believes that the only way to help them heal is to really love them, as many of them have been deeply hurt in their homes. “We need to have a high level of acceptance and a low level of expectation”, she says. The homes get many volunteers, including students, but Anne comments that most of them are ad-hoc visits. While these, too, are welcome,

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“We need to have a high level of acceptance and a low level of expectation.”

32 outspoken

NUS Deviants

An exposé on the eccentricities of NUS students text Mallika | [email protected]

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The limited number of discussion rooms in the central library has never stood in the way of our students. There are only about eight rooms, and they are usually occupied. So instead of finding

another comfortable place to discuss group projects, several students cram into those phone booths where you go to talk on your mobile phone to avoid making a noise in the deathly silence of the 6th floor. Here you have about five people squeezing into a tiny 2m x 1.5m cubicle whispering about their projects as they sit piled up one on top of another. Creative, is it not? Some of our students are also too attached to campus to leave, literally. Either they are taking on the night-watch duty at the central forum for the bazaars or they fall asleep in the department room

photo deviantart.com

In NUS, deviance is the norm and normality is deviant. Instead of walking up a flight of stairs, we all cram into one greenhouse handicap elevator to take us up one storey. Why bother with simple things like staircases when you can wait in line and get into an elevator where you can literally smell the sweat on each other? NUS students redefine and value comfort.

while working on assignments, rushing a last-minute deadline. One male student, sleeping over in the Playroom at Communications and New Media, literally made himself a personalized cozy corner with his toothbrush, pillow and alarm clock. Besides being dedicated, NUS students are highly competitive. So much so that when working on a research project where everyone has the same topic, students actually find relevant books and hide them all over the Central Library. Working together and pooling resources might be the conventional approach, but NUS students innovate to get ahead,

outspoken 33 leaving the rest behind. We do apologize to the librarians who have to clean up after us.

Down at the ‘Dungeon’, we witness outright rebellion from our daredevil smokers. The ‘Dungeon’ is a part of the NUS jurisdiction, and hence smoking is banned there as well, but students continue to smoke right in front of the “No Smoking” sign. It has also come to my notice that NUS rooftops are also popular hot spots for smokers. On top of that (excuse the pun), rooftops cater to passionate lovers and their make-out sessions as well. Steamy! And then, there are the less outright violations of norms. Take for example the never-ending line at the Yong Tau Fu stall at The Deck. As I was observing on a hot sunny day at noon, a student stood in the first line, picked her ingredients, gave it to the person at the stall and instead of getting into the second line, she surprised me by walking over to the drinks stall and buying a drink. She then went back to her table of friends to

join in the conversation and just as it was her turn to pay and pick up her food at the Yong Tau Fu stall, she ran back to the second line. Might as well squeeze in some time to socialize while waiting for your food, right? After all, the Yong Tau Fu stall line is eternally long and time is of immense value at NUS. Students sending SMS to their friends two seats away during lecture is another cause for amusement. “Lect so boring lah,” “I knw man!Wat u doing later?wnt 2 get din?” The way we see it, our phones are still on silent so “can lah!” Who said Singaporeans are conformists? NUS students are unique in the real sense of the word. So if you see any of us putting up tents on campus or spending precious time displacing sought-out books in the library, do not be surprised. We may not stage protests, shoot at random college mates or walk around campus will full-body tattoos, but we have found our own niche in deviance.

“We may not stage protests, shoot at random college mates or walk around campus will full-body tattoos, but we have found our own niche in deviance.”

NAF CALENDAR

27 Feb 09

Dance

28 Feb 09

Variance by T.H.E Dance Company UCC Hall, 8pm

1 Mar 09

Antonym – A Double Bill by Kiran Kumar & Michael Wong UCC Dance Studio, 8pm

6 Mar 09

7 Ma

State of Emergency by NUS Ilsa Tari, NUS Electronic Music Lab & Shaun Koh UCC Theatre, 8pm

Live! – For This Cycle UCC Theatre Foyer, 7pm

Music

Treat Her Like A Lady! by NUS Jazz Band UCC Theatre, 8pm

Live! – In Finite Flight UCC Theatre Foyer, 7pm

The Little Mouth Organ by NUS Harmonica Orchestra UCC Courtyard, 7pm

Music for Healing by Dr M. Harre Harren UCC Dance Studio Workshop: 6 – 7.30pm Concert: 8pm

From Ravel to Joplin by NUS Piano Ensemble UCC Theatre Foyer, 8pm

Live! – Resonance UCC Theatre Foyer, 7pm

Literary / Theatre Screenings

Visual Arts

Project Wishing Tree 27 Feb – 15 Mar 09 UCC Foyer

Stories from Our Sunny Homeland by Edwin UCC Theatre Green Room 8pm

Rhapsody on an Equatorial Evening NUS Football Field 7.30pm – 12am

Voices of a Distant Star by Makoto Shinkai LT 27 (NUS Faculty of Science) 4pm

NUS Arts Festival 2009 Open Art Show Nature, Man Included 27 Feb – 15 Mar 09 NUS Museum

DIN! By MLuM 27 Feb – 15 Mar 09 Various parts of UCC

by NUS Chin UCC H

The Extinc by Lins UCC Theatre 8pm, 8.45

Tree Duet by spell#7 UCC Theatre, 8pm

FlatLand by Ladd Ehlinger Jr. LT 27 (NUS Faculty of Science) 2pm A Narmada Diary by Anand Patwardhan & Simantini Dhuru UCC Theatre Green Room 8pm

Faculty of Science 80th Anniversary Exhibition 27 Feb – 15 Mar 09 Suite Two and Level Two Foyer, UCC

Science Buskers @ Science Demo Lab Science Demo Lab (NUS Faculty of Science, S16-02-01) 10am – 12pm & 1 – 3pm

Workshops & Others

The Extinction Room by Linsey Pollak UCC Theatre Green Room 8pm, 8.45pm, 9.30pm

Live! – You an UCC Theatr

The Singing Revolution codirected by James and Maureen Tusty UCC Courtyard, 8pm

Energy Crossr Need to Ch by Christop UCC Cou

Constructed Landscapes: Singapore in Southeast Asia 23 Dec 08 – Dec 09 NUS Museum

Life as a S Professi by Prof P LT 31 (NUS Fac 4pm Liminal Zones: People & Space A Photography Talk by Shannon Castleman Celadon Room, NUS Museum 6.30 – 7.30pm

3D Art with F Chemistry F (NUS Faculty of S 10 – 11am, 12 –

The Art o Chemistry Inorg (NUS Faculty of 10 – 11am, 12 –

Science Buskers @ Science Demo Lab Science Demo Lab (NUS Faculty of Science, S16-02-01) 10am – 12pm 1 – 3pm & 4 – 6pm

Explore the Nan Physics SEM (NUS Faculty of S 10am – 12pm, 1 –

Talk by Prof Jocelyn Bell LT 27 (NUS Faculty of Science) 6pm

Feeding th LS L (NUS Faculty of S 10 – 11am, 12 –

Origami + Maths NUS Museum, 4 – 6pm

Mini LS L (NUS Faculty of S 10 – 11am, 12 –

Forum: Construc Post-co Contempora NUS Muse

08

FEBRUARY ’09 – APRIL’09

NAF CALENDAR

Answer simpleart question at Find outa the of being green!

ridgeonline.wordpress.com Featuring 3 weekends of over 60 exciting and stand a chance to covering win festival programmes drama, free tickets Monique dance, music, toliterary and visual arts! Copper’s performance Water

www.nus.edu.sg/cfa Keep this calendar as a reminder of your favourite NAF shows!

7 Mar 09

Vriksha by NUS Indian Dance UCC Theatre, 8pm

m

13 Mar 09

14 Mar 09

15 Mar 09

Tabula Rasa by MiDEA Lab, Philip Tan, Andreas Dewanto & Dr Sow Chorng Haur UCC Theatre Green Room, 8pm

Live! – Charlotte Cheng UCC Theatre Foyer, 7pm

Live! – Anjana & Greg UCC Theatre Foyer, 7pm Live! – You and Whose Army? UCC Theatre Foyer, 7pm Allure by NUS Chinese Orchestra UCC Hall, 8pm The Extinction Room by Linsey Pollak UCC Theatre Green Room 8pm, 8.45pm, 9.30pm

Live! – s.p.o.n.g.e UCC Theatre Foyer, 7pm Press Any Key by G.A.M.E. UCC Dance Studio, 8pm The Extinction Room by Linsey Pollak UCC Theatre Green Room 8pm, 8.45pm, 9.30pm

Elementalism UCC Courtyard, 5pm Live! – Anjana & Greg UCC Theatre Foyer, 7pm

A New Season – Celebrating 30 Melodious Years by NUS Symphony Orchestra UCC Hall, 8pm

A Different View by Cosmic Armchair UCC Studio, 8pm A Dance Different View

byGuitar Cosmic Armchair Let’s Play – Impressions of Japan UCC Dance Studio, 8pm by NUS Guitar Ensemble

Swing Shift by I-Sis Trio UCC Dance Studio, 8pm Water by Monique Copper UCC Theatre, 8pm

UCC Courtyard, 8pm

Sun Day by NUS Stage and NUS Chinese Drama UCC Theatre, 8pm

The Horse Thief by Tian Zhuang Zhuang UCC Dance Studio, 8pm Energy Crossroads: A Burning Need to Change Course by Christophe Fauchere UCC Courtyard, 8pm

ucted Landscapes: ore in Southeast Asia Dec 08 – Dec 09 NUS Museum

ce

8 Mar 09

Looking for Alibrandi by Kate Woods UCC Sulte One, 8pm

Past-Present: Craft Communities of North India 16 Feb – 26 Apr 09 NUS Museum

Life as a Sanctioned Professional Killer by Prof Peter KL Ng LT 31 (NUS Faculty of Science), 4pm (Talk)

Sculpting Life: The Ng Eng Teng Collection Ongoing NUS Museum

Ways of Seeing Chinese Art Ongoing NUS Museum

Painting with the Scientists NUS Museum, 4 – 6pm

3D Art with Food Additives Chemistry FST Laboratory (NUS Faculty of Science, S3 Level 6) 10 – 11am, 12 – 1pm and 2 – 3pm The Art of Chemistry Chemistry Inorganic Laboratory (NUS Faculty of Science, S5-4-10) 10 – 11am, 12 – 1pm and 2 – 3pm Explore the Nanoworld @ SEM Lab Physics SEM laboratory (NUS Faculty of Science S13-01-03) 10am – 12pm, 1 – 3pm and 4 – 6pm Feeding the Barnacles LS Lab 7 (NUS Faculty of Science S2 Level 3) 10 – 11am, 12 – 1pm and 2 – 3pm Mini Blooms LS Lab 7 (NUS Faculty of Science S2 Level 3) 10 – 11am, 12 – 1pm and 2 – 3pm Forum: Constructed Landscapes: Post-colonial and Contemporary Singapore NUS Museum, 2 – 4pm

Walking Tour at Palmer & Telok Ayer Area 4 – 6pm

Explore the Nanoworld @ SEM Lab Physics SEM laboratory (NUS Faculty of Science S13-01-03) 10am – 12pm, 1 – 3pm

Feeding the Barnacles LS Lab 7 (NUS Faculty of Science S2 Level 3) 10 – 11am, 12 – 1pm and 2 – 3pm

Mini Blooms LS Lab 7 (NUS Faculty of Science S2 Level 3) 10 – 11am, 12 – 1pm and 2 – 3pm

Falling to Earth Talk on Land Art by Twardzik Ching Chor Leng Celadon Room, NUS Museum 6.30 – 7.30pm

Art and Nature Workshop for Kids by Janice Chin and Arron Teo NUS Museum, 2 – 4pm

Selling of Papeterie UCC Foyer, 6 – 8pm Selling of Papeterie UCC Foyer, 6 – 8pm Food Fiesta by NUSSU SAVE UCC Courtyard, 5pm onwards

Selling of Papeterie UCC Foyer, 6 – 8pm

Information correct at time of print. For updates, please visit www.nus.edu.sg/cfa

FEBRUARY ’09 – APRIL’09

09

36 wired

Tech Buzz text Gurmesh Singh | [email protected]

the ridge takes a look at what has been creating a buzz in the tech world of late.

Microsoft acknowledges Firefox exists Microsoft has released an add-on for Mozilla Firefox which allows you to search using Microsoft Live Search. It offers suggestions to any term that you may key into the search box. Unfortunately, Firefox already has Google search integrated into it, which basically provides the same functionality. Microsoft has been trying to claim a bigger share of the search market from Yahoo and more importantly, Google. Also, Microsoft seems to be acknowledging the fact that Firefox is steadily gaining a sizeable share of the browser market. However, it may just be a case of too little too late from Microsoft. Still, if you find yourself with a bit of time to kill (highly unlikely if you’re a student), you may just want to Live Search instead of Googling, just for the fun of it.

design Adi Yoga Sidi Prabawa

Google joins fight for net neutrality With Internet Service Providers (ISPs) throttling BitTorrent traffic and often not being open about it, Google has decided to lend a hand in shaming them so that customers can make an informed choice. Google has helped launch Measurement Lab (M-Lab) which will collaborate with New America Foundation’s Open Technology Institute and PlanetLab Consortium to help users check if their ISP is indeed interfering or throttling their BitTorrent traffic. One of the tools available is the Glasnost application which has been developed by the Max Planck Institute. The Java applet monitors upload and download speed via BitTorrent comparing it with the regular download speed. Google has offered 36 servers in 12 locations as well as network connectivity for the tools hosted on M-lab to help in the fight for net neutrality. After all, the technology behind BitTorrent is very much legal. It is what you download that may infringe on copyright laws.

wired 37 Gmail now available for use while offline Gmail users can rejoice for the fact that Gmail is now available with an offline mode. Should you not be connected to the Internet for whatever reason, you will still be able to read and organize messages. This is done via Google Gears which will have to be downloaded to enjoy offline support for Gmail. While in offline mode, Gmail uses data stored on your hard drive to allow you to continue working in Gmail. Messages will be automatically sent once you obtain Internet connectivity.

Wikipedia to have more checks

Wikipedia, the site where you can find information on just about anything may be about to see a change in the way information is added to it. Almost all entries are free to be updated by anyone at any time, with the changes being reflected almost immediately. However, the founder of Wikipedia, Jimmy Wales, has proposed a new system whereby updates would have to go through editorial approval before they can be added. This of course, has its downsides as it would take a lot of manpower to monitor and approve changes. Also, updates would probably be only published days or weeks later. This of course, would not be good for Wikipedia, which prides itself in being relatively up-to-date. As a result, there have been Wikipedia editors who disagree with such a proposal. The call for change comes after the Wiki pages of United States Senators Robert Byrd and Edward Kennedy were edited to give the impression that they had both passed way. This is unlikely to be the first incidence of false information making it to Wikipedia but the fact that this time it involves high ranking politicians may have been what triggered the proposal for such a change.

President Obama has won his battle to keep his beloved BlackBerry and use it to email in the White House. Due to the sensitive nature of his job, there have been many security concerns regarding Obama using his handheld to access his email. There will be compromises though, in that he will be able to be in touch with limited number of people such as senior staff and small group of friends. Given the fact that neither George W Bush nor Bill Clinton used e-mail during their respective tenures in the White House would mean that Obama would be the first one to do so.

Facebook reaches 150 million users

Just two months after attaining 120 million users, Facebook has been able to hit 150 million active users. The announcement was made by Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg at the start of the year. If the current growth rate for Facebook users is sustained, it could hit 200 million users before Zuckerberg even celebrates his 25th birthday this year. This is indeed impressive for an idea (or copy of an idea, depending on who you talk to) that took flight from a dorm room in Harvard in 2004.

photo tech2.in.com

Obama sets another presidential first

38 wired

CES Roundup

the ridge rounds up the gadgets and technology that have caught our eye from the recently concluded Consumer Electronics Show (CES) text Gurmesh Singh | [email protected] in Las Vegas. Palm Pre

photo apcmag.com

With almost every other phone manufacturer entering the smartphone market, Palm has been suffering in terms of bringing out new phones that are a cut above the rest. That may all change will the Palm Pre. The slider phone has a touch screen but also includes a gesture bar located under the screen to allow for easier navigation. It comes with a 3.1 inch capacitive LCD multi-touch screen, full QWERTY keyboard, 8GB of storage, 3.5mm headphone jack and a 3MP camera.

Sony Vaio P

photo i.gizmodo.com

Sony unveiled the Vaio P, to presumably compete with all the other netbooks that are out in the market right now. However, they are quite insistent that we call the Vaio P an ultraportable rather than a netbook. Well, whatever it may be known as, it certainly is a beautiful thing to behold, as are most Sony laptops or notebooks. The 8 inch ultraportable has a 1600 x 768 resolution with LED backlit and comes with 2GB of ram so that it can run vista coupled with a 1.33Ghz Atom processor. It also features an instant-on OS which is actually the Sony Cross Media Bar (XMB) also used in many other Sony products.

photo phonenews.com

design Hurrairah bin Sohail

LG Watch Phone

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The LG GD910 watch phone not only looks pretty cool but actually has some useful functions as well. 3G, Bluetooth, speech recognition and videoconferencing are just some of the features available on this watch phone. There is also a touchscreen for making calls although you would probably need very small fingers to use the inevitably small screen. Still this gadget looks very cool. So cool, even James Bond would be begging Q to get him one.

2/8/2009 1:37:07 AM

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EEE Keyboard

photo gizmodo.com

Asus showed off its Eee Keyboard, which is essentially a fully functional PC in the form of a keyboard with a touchcreen located on the right-hand side. It also features wireless HDMI allowing you to potentially connect up to any big screen TV turning it into your very own monitor. It looks so advanced that it is unlikely to be hitting shelves any time soon but when it does, it will definitely revolutionize the idea of what a home theater PC should look like.

Dell Mini 10 Dell decided to use CES to show off their latest netbook, the Mini 10.It offers some rather good functionality with a 1.6GHz Atom processor, 3G, GPS and 802.11n wifi. It also has a10 inch, 720p display, a TV tuner and multituch trackpad, similar to that found on the latest Macbooks.

photo blog.laptopmag.com

photo blog.laptopmag.com

Samsung P3 PMP

photo gizmodo.com

Samsung introduced its latest portable media player the P3. It has a 3 inch WQVGA screen with haptic feedback. No surprises that this is aimed to be competing with the likes of the iPod Touch. One of the interesting features of the player is the stereo Bluetooth allowing wireless connectivity with external Bluetooth capable speakers. It also has radio and voice recording capabilities. It comes with 8, 16 or 32GB of flash memory.

Sony Cybershot G3

photo gizm

odo.com

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Sony unveiled theirs and indeed the world’s first wi-fi enabled camera, complete with a built in browser. The camera features are not bad as well. 10 megapixels with 4X optical zoom, 4GB internal memory and a 3.5 inch touchscreen. Intelligent Scene Recognition, Face Detection and Smile Shutter are some of the other features available in the camera.

2/8/2009 1:37:07 AM

40 wired

Windows 7: Brand new Windo Service Pack?

This month the ridge takes a look at the new Windows 7 Beta to catch a glimpse of Microsoft’s next big offering.

text &photo Mazyiar Saleem | [email protected]

Microsoft released the first public beta of Windows 7 to the general public in early January. I can tell you upfront that if you’re already a fan of Vista, you’ll actually love it even more. Even if you don’t really like Vista that much, take heart because the makers of Windows 7 have reevaluated pretty much everything about Vista, and made changes small and large across the board. This results in a better Windows, no matter which way you look at it. The first thing you will notice is the new interface. There is a whole lot of glass, even more than Vista, and the taskbar is much more translucent. You’ll also notice that the sidebar that was quite a nuisance is also gone. Similar to Vista though, you can still add gadgets to your desktop and position them to your liking. The gadgets are slightly less of a performance hog, but not much else has really changed.

design Suhas Bhat

The most noticeable thing though is the new Taskbar. Somewhat akin

to the Mac OS X Dock, the taskbar now has huge icons that serve as shortcuts to open programs and also show currently opened programs. You can also move the icons around, which is quite useful. In Vista, we saw thumbnail-size previews of windows when the mouse was hovered over an application in the Taskbar; but you could only really see one preview at a

time. In Windows 7, thumbnails for multiple windows appear onscreen simultaneously, arranged side-by-side in a translucent strip. Hovering over a specific thumbnail brings up a full-size preview of the window, and windows can also be closed directly from the thumbnails. You can also middleclick the taskbar icon to open new windows or middle-click the thumbnails to close windows.

New taskbar with preview of open windows

The system tray, with its myriad of notifications, and the plethora of icons taking up precious space on the taskbar, has always been a source of great irritation to users. Windows 7 finally brings us some tools to help manage the mess. For each application, you can configure individually whether or not to

‘Snapping’ a window to the left half of the screen

wired 41

indows or just another Vista display its icon and notifications. The overflow area (where the hidden icons go) hasn’t changed much, but now pops up instead of extending the system tray – which is an improvement in my opinion. You can also move around icons in the system tray now just like the taskbar. At the far right of the new

Jump list for windows explorer

Taskbar is a little rectangle of what looks like unused space. Hovering your mouse over it activates a feature called AeroPeek, which makes all your windows transparent, allowing you to see your desktop behind them. This is especially useful for viewing your on-screen gadgets. Clicking the rectangle acts like the old ‘Show Desktop’ button, minimising all your windows when clicked on once, and then restoring them when you click again.

Another new feature called Aero Snap allows you to dock windows by dragging them to screen edges. So dragging to the left or right edges maximises a window to half the screen on that side, and dragging to the top maximises it to the whole screen. Shaking a window will cause all other windows to get minimised, and doing it again will cause them to come back up.

A new feature to help you work more efficiently is Jump Lists. This adds a handy submenu to many applications, so you can see items that you recently worked with in a given app, or look at further options you have for starting new documents or accessing often-used features. This works both for items in the taskbar, and those pinned to the start menu. The immensely annoying User Account Control has also been

revised, and now includes 4 levels that the user can specify – making it a bit more tolerable.

The biggest question on everyone’s mind though is whether Windows 7 introduces the much-needed performance improvements over Vista. Although I haven’t been able to run any actual tests yet, preliminary usage would suggest that there is definitely an improvement. Throughout the OS, windows open faster, apps seem to launch more quickly, and the overall interface seems snappier than it was with my Vista installation on the same machine. Start up and shutdown times seem to be quicker too. However, in terms of actual usage, Windows 7 is fairly unexceptional in the sense that while it has some nice improvements over Windows Vista, none of them are particularly major changes.

42 sports

World Sports Feed With January just ending, the world of sports has been abuzz with activity. Sports the ridge takes a look back and what has gone down since 2009 started. text Suhas Bhat | [email protected]

The January transfer window, despite promising much at the start, was relatively quiet. An atrocious bid of £108 million for AC Milan’s playmaker Kaka by Manchester City grabbed much of the headlines but inevitably, the move failed to pass. The Spurs were the other team active but in a time of financial uncertainty, many teams chose to keep their players and focus on improving their performances. Unless they were Barcelona who have hauled a record 50 points by the halfway point of the season and the Primera Liga title is theirs to lose. Liverpool have stuttered and failed to hold onto their pole position at the start of the year with new World Club Champions Manchester United usurping them at the top. Hoffenheim’s adventure appears to be severely compromised with the injury of their star striker Ibisevic.

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India cancelled its tour of Pakistan amidst security concerns costing the two countries a potential $65 million. Pakistan did not play a single Test match in 2008 and this has affected the team adversely with the Pakistani selectors choosing to replace Shoaib Malik with Younus Khan after Malik’s team lost dismally in the final match of the three ODI series held in Pakistan. A two Test Series between West Indies (hosts) and England, a 5 ODI series between Australia (hosts) and New Zealand a 5 ODI series between Kenya (hosts) and Zimbabwe and a 5 ODI series between Sri Lanka (hosts) and India are all scheduled for February.

Randy Orton won the Royal Rumble earning him a shot at fighting for the WWE, World Heavyweight or ECW Championship at Wrestlemania XXV (April 5, 2009) defeating other notable performers such as the Undertaker, Big Show & Triple H. Edge defeated Jeff Hardy with the help of Jeff’s brother Matt (who earlier lost to Jack Swagger in the ECW Championship match) to win the WWE Championship while John Cena retained his World Heavyweight Championship against JBL despite the interference of Shawn Michaels.

2/8/2009 3:56:38 PM

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Super Bowl XLIII was held on February 1 and was between Pittsburgh Steelers & Arizona Cardinals with the Steelers defeating the Cardinals 27-23. Winning the Vince Lombardi trophy gave the Steelers the record for the most (6) Super Bowl wins. Kurt Warner’s (Cardinals) resurgence as a 37 year old quarterback surprised many over the season but Steelers’ receiver Santonio Holmes was awarded the Most Valuable Player award. With just over two minutes remaining in the game, the Cardinals had gained a 3 point lead and in the dying seconds of the game, Santonio Holmes received a 6 yard pass from Ben Roethlisberger to seal the win at Tampa Bay, Florida.

Another Federer-Nadal matchup was seen at the Australian Open Men’s Singles’ Final. World no 1 Nadal won the Men’s singles title (his first in Australia) after a gruelling five set match lasting 4 hours 23 minutes. Serena Williams defeated Dinara Safina of Russia for her 10th career singles Grand Slam claiming the no. 1 spot in the ATP rankings. The Extreme Heat Policy was applied as players, at times, had to play in temperatures as high as 43 degrees.

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