The Straits Times article on May 26,2007
Full Article pasted on Staff Welfare Notice Board (next to Poh Lean's desk)
Interesting article on education system and culture in Finland
"The Finnish education system is one of the best in the world,.... Pisa, the triennial worldwide test of the academic performance of 15-year-olds... In 2003, Finland came top in reading, literacy and science, and second in mathematics and probelm solving. Hong Kong had the next best perforamnce..."
Anybody know where we stand?
"While working in Russia some years ago, I hopped over to Helsinki .... The streets of the capital were lined with bookshops and art galleries and at the cinemas they were showing the great European and American classics, but not the latest blockbuster..."
"As I was sitting in a cafe quietly reading a shorter Solzhenitsyn, a student-type person came in and announced that she was going to read everyone her poetry, since there was a literary festival on the week."
" That Finland is a cultured place was demonstrated to me by the fact that an old gentlemen sitting nearby told her in no uncertain terms that he would rather she inflicted her adolescent gushings on someone else, as she was spoiling his lattee. She retreated hastily and left us all to our novels."
"It is easy to see why the Finns are so clever. They have more lakes than anyone else in the world. The quiet templation of still water is always conducive to thoughts and exercise of reason."
can't agreed more...about the lake :OP
"Finns enjoy nine years of compulsory, comprehensive education at a basic school... They study their mother tongue, the otehr national language, for example, Swedish or Finnish,... Whether the fact that pupils receive free hot school meals throughtout that time is significant or not, is difficult to say."
I remembered Mrs Tan SH shared something about the pupils in taiwan helping to serve their own lunch.. is it also provided by states?
"The Germans have had a similar structure for years, but they are nowhere in the Pisa tables. There must be many social and cultural factors that account for Finland success in teh Pisa competition but one of tehm is undoubtedly the quality of teaching."
"Teaching is a revered profession in Finland and there is no shortage of applicants. All teachers need to have a master's degree and less than half of the applicants are accepted onto teacher training programmes."
Saturday, May 26, 2007
Friday, May 18, 2007
School Coach involved in chat scandal
SPOT ON!
Article from http://blogscapes.wordpress.com/
Last week, the Straits Times reported on a sting operation it conducted in Singapore. It had a reporter psoe as a 13 year old girl in chat rooms. Almost immediately, she was hit upon by men who invited her to meet up for sex. Such blatant requests were made even when the men knew she was underaged.
In the end, the reporter agreed to meet up with three of the men, one of whom said he was a basketball coach with a girls’ school! While the picture in the report had the face of the coach made fuzzy, the teachers in the school he coached at kind of recognised him and the principal asked if he was the one in the report. When he ‘confessed’, the school decided to terminate his contract. i thought that was a good move by the school. Imagine, this predator working so closely with young girls!
What this shows is that what happens in the online virtual world can really have true consequences and the reality would catch up easily!
What this amazes me is the sheer number of sexual predators out there who are trawling the cybergrounds for sex! While some of the girls who respond do know what they are doing, quite often, there are gullible ones out there who respond out of curiosity and who actually believe that the men are inviting them home to watch a movie and play games.
Perhaps the anonymity of the Internet has dulled some of the flight/fight instincts, so much so that many young people out there willingly share their personal contacts online for all and sundry to see, and even include very private details of themselves and their families.
While the Internet is a relatively new form of expression and communication, good old fashioned common sense should still prevail, and parents and young people need to be aware of that.
Article from ASIA ONE
You're 13? What's your bust size?
Men prowl Internet chatrooms and lure young girls into meeting them for sex. Cheryl Tan poses as a 13-year-old schoolgirl and gets one indecent proposal after another
May 06, 2007 The Straits Times
WITHIN four minutes of introducing himself in a local Internet relay chatroom meant for teenagers, Aauarius asked to feel my breasts.
Even after knowing that I was a 13-year-old schoolgirl, he asked for my height, weight, waist measurement and size of my 'top'.
Claiming his real name was Eric, 22, he offered to take me shopping and to lunch - both at his expense.
'I treat you everything tomorrow,' he promised.
But I had to let him 'feel feel' me.
Eric was just one of 90 men who messaged me within minutes of entering an Internet chatroom.
Even after I said that I was 13, the lewd offers still came thick and fast.
These men did not seem worried that, under the law, it is illegal to have sex with a girl under the age of 16.
The punishment for statutory rape is severe - the culprit will be jailed at least eight years and given a minimum 12 strokes of the cane.
Despite this, the number of men reported to the police for having sex with underage girls has shot up over the last six years.
Last year, the police received 217 reports of men who had sex with underage girls, almost double the 114 cases in 2001.
Just last month, three men aged between 18 and 23 were in court for having sex with a minor. The girl was only 12.
The laws will be toughened soon to deal with such paedophiles.
Psychiatrist Brian Yeo said men who target young girls do so to 'feel in control'.
He said they get a 'thrill' and consider it a 'conquest' when a young girl gives in to their request.
Psychologist Daniel Koh added that because the young girls are sexually inexperienced, these men think they are 'easier to please'.
But not all girls are that innocent, said Dr Yeo, and some crave the attention these men lavish. 'They find it fun to have men go ga-ga over their photos.'
Even though I did not have a photo to show the men who were chatting me up, many still ended up proposing a secret rendezvous.
Finding out that I was only 13 did not deter 27 men from doing so. Only 10 dropped out of the chat after I said that I was 13.
I could barely keep up with the chat requests and respond to everyone.
Some started slow. They made small talk before moving on to more personal questions such as what underwear I was wearing and whether I had any sexual experience.
Others asked for sex from the word go. One man's opening line was: 'Want sex and quick cash?'
Another guy wanted to know how short my school skirt was. A few asked for my vital statistics.
One man tried to lure me out by saying that a pink bikini and denim skirt would be mine to keep if I went to his home. Some also asked if I had 'petted' before and described in graphic detail what that meant.
One man, Andy, even boasted about his experience with a 15-year-old girl at a hotel. The 26-year-old, claimed to be 'skilful' at sex and promised that I would feel no pain.
Darren, whose pick-up line was to ask if I was keen on earning $1,500, called me 'girl'. He asked for my age, my school, and why I was not in class on a Friday morning.
For that amount of money, all he wanted from me was to 'accompany' him.
Going by the nickname Lucifer, the 27-year-old who claimed to be an advertising manager said he wanted us to 'chill out' together at his home.
He asked to meet me at a playground near the HDB flat he lived in.
He offered to pay for my cab fare to his place, which would have come up to about $20. He said we could have breakfast and watch comedy movies. He gave me his mobile number.
When I got there and called him, he asked me again if I was really 13.
While I waited on a slide, Darren circled the playground several times. He then disappeared behind a block of flats and hid behind a pillar.
My phone rang - it was him. He claimed he did not see me at the playground and asked to meet at the lift lobby instead.
When I faked unfamiliarity with the area, he finally approached me.
Wearing spectacles, a bright red sweater and black bermudas, the first thing he asked me was: 'Are you the girl I chatted with online?'
When I identified myself as a reporter, Darren immediately denied knowing that I was 13.
Even as he tried to inch away from me, he insisted that his motive was purely innocent. He 'really just wanted to watch movies' with me at his flat.
Two hours later, a woman who claimed to be Darren's girlfriend called to say that it had been a case of 'mistaken identity'. She claimed that someone had impersonated Darren and posted his mobile phone number on the Net.
Another online chatter, who arranged to meet me at a playground in Bishan, lied about his age.
Claiming to be 19, Josh wanted to 'cuddle for a bit' in his home. He later changed tack and said he was actually a 28-year-old basketball coach who trained schoolgirls as young as eight.
To entice me to meet him, Josh promised to take me to lunch and shopping at Bishan Junction 8 before going to his home.
Dressed in a white polo T-shirt and Adidas basketball shorts, he was calm when I said I was a reporter.
Lighting up a cigarette, Josh said he wanted only to walk around with me to 'pass the time'. He also claimed that he had set up the meeting to recruit female basketballers.
The third man who coaxed me out promised a massage and the chance to watch movies which I was 'not supposed to watch yet'.
Roger suggested meeting in Hotel 81 to 'get comfortable' and 'take shelter from the afternoon sun'.
He brought along a laptop to play his 'movies'.
Towering over me, the 32-year-old who claimed to be a computer systems engineer said he has met girls of all ages and that it was only 'for fun'.
Roger did not believe I was a reporter.
He continued to call me after we parted, asking if I was available to talk to him.
After all those were ignored, he sent the SMS message: 'Can't chat anymore?'
tcheryl@sph.com.sg
Article from http://blogscapes.wordpress.com/
Last week, the Straits Times reported on a sting operation it conducted in Singapore. It had a reporter psoe as a 13 year old girl in chat rooms. Almost immediately, she was hit upon by men who invited her to meet up for sex. Such blatant requests were made even when the men knew she was underaged.
In the end, the reporter agreed to meet up with three of the men, one of whom said he was a basketball coach with a girls’ school! While the picture in the report had the face of the coach made fuzzy, the teachers in the school he coached at kind of recognised him and the principal asked if he was the one in the report. When he ‘confessed’, the school decided to terminate his contract. i thought that was a good move by the school. Imagine, this predator working so closely with young girls!
What this shows is that what happens in the online virtual world can really have true consequences and the reality would catch up easily!
What this amazes me is the sheer number of sexual predators out there who are trawling the cybergrounds for sex! While some of the girls who respond do know what they are doing, quite often, there are gullible ones out there who respond out of curiosity and who actually believe that the men are inviting them home to watch a movie and play games.
Perhaps the anonymity of the Internet has dulled some of the flight/fight instincts, so much so that many young people out there willingly share their personal contacts online for all and sundry to see, and even include very private details of themselves and their families.
While the Internet is a relatively new form of expression and communication, good old fashioned common sense should still prevail, and parents and young people need to be aware of that.
Article from ASIA ONE
You're 13? What's your bust size?
Men prowl Internet chatrooms and lure young girls into meeting them for sex. Cheryl Tan poses as a 13-year-old schoolgirl and gets one indecent proposal after another
May 06, 2007 The Straits Times
WITHIN four minutes of introducing himself in a local Internet relay chatroom meant for teenagers, Aauarius asked to feel my breasts.
Even after knowing that I was a 13-year-old schoolgirl, he asked for my height, weight, waist measurement and size of my 'top'.
Claiming his real name was Eric, 22, he offered to take me shopping and to lunch - both at his expense.
'I treat you everything tomorrow,' he promised.
But I had to let him 'feel feel' me.
Eric was just one of 90 men who messaged me within minutes of entering an Internet chatroom.
Even after I said that I was 13, the lewd offers still came thick and fast.
These men did not seem worried that, under the law, it is illegal to have sex with a girl under the age of 16.
The punishment for statutory rape is severe - the culprit will be jailed at least eight years and given a minimum 12 strokes of the cane.
Despite this, the number of men reported to the police for having sex with underage girls has shot up over the last six years.
Last year, the police received 217 reports of men who had sex with underage girls, almost double the 114 cases in 2001.
Just last month, three men aged between 18 and 23 were in court for having sex with a minor. The girl was only 12.
The laws will be toughened soon to deal with such paedophiles.
Psychiatrist Brian Yeo said men who target young girls do so to 'feel in control'.
He said they get a 'thrill' and consider it a 'conquest' when a young girl gives in to their request.
Psychologist Daniel Koh added that because the young girls are sexually inexperienced, these men think they are 'easier to please'.
But not all girls are that innocent, said Dr Yeo, and some crave the attention these men lavish. 'They find it fun to have men go ga-ga over their photos.'
Even though I did not have a photo to show the men who were chatting me up, many still ended up proposing a secret rendezvous.
Finding out that I was only 13 did not deter 27 men from doing so. Only 10 dropped out of the chat after I said that I was 13.
I could barely keep up with the chat requests and respond to everyone.
Some started slow. They made small talk before moving on to more personal questions such as what underwear I was wearing and whether I had any sexual experience.
Others asked for sex from the word go. One man's opening line was: 'Want sex and quick cash?'
Another guy wanted to know how short my school skirt was. A few asked for my vital statistics.
One man tried to lure me out by saying that a pink bikini and denim skirt would be mine to keep if I went to his home. Some also asked if I had 'petted' before and described in graphic detail what that meant.
One man, Andy, even boasted about his experience with a 15-year-old girl at a hotel. The 26-year-old, claimed to be 'skilful' at sex and promised that I would feel no pain.
Darren, whose pick-up line was to ask if I was keen on earning $1,500, called me 'girl'. He asked for my age, my school, and why I was not in class on a Friday morning.
For that amount of money, all he wanted from me was to 'accompany' him.
Going by the nickname Lucifer, the 27-year-old who claimed to be an advertising manager said he wanted us to 'chill out' together at his home.
He asked to meet me at a playground near the HDB flat he lived in.
He offered to pay for my cab fare to his place, which would have come up to about $20. He said we could have breakfast and watch comedy movies. He gave me his mobile number.
When I got there and called him, he asked me again if I was really 13.
While I waited on a slide, Darren circled the playground several times. He then disappeared behind a block of flats and hid behind a pillar.
My phone rang - it was him. He claimed he did not see me at the playground and asked to meet at the lift lobby instead.
When I faked unfamiliarity with the area, he finally approached me.
Wearing spectacles, a bright red sweater and black bermudas, the first thing he asked me was: 'Are you the girl I chatted with online?'
When I identified myself as a reporter, Darren immediately denied knowing that I was 13.
Even as he tried to inch away from me, he insisted that his motive was purely innocent. He 'really just wanted to watch movies' with me at his flat.
Two hours later, a woman who claimed to be Darren's girlfriend called to say that it had been a case of 'mistaken identity'. She claimed that someone had impersonated Darren and posted his mobile phone number on the Net.
Another online chatter, who arranged to meet me at a playground in Bishan, lied about his age.
Claiming to be 19, Josh wanted to 'cuddle for a bit' in his home. He later changed tack and said he was actually a 28-year-old basketball coach who trained schoolgirls as young as eight.
To entice me to meet him, Josh promised to take me to lunch and shopping at Bishan Junction 8 before going to his home.
Dressed in a white polo T-shirt and Adidas basketball shorts, he was calm when I said I was a reporter.
Lighting up a cigarette, Josh said he wanted only to walk around with me to 'pass the time'. He also claimed that he had set up the meeting to recruit female basketballers.
The third man who coaxed me out promised a massage and the chance to watch movies which I was 'not supposed to watch yet'.
Roger suggested meeting in Hotel 81 to 'get comfortable' and 'take shelter from the afternoon sun'.
He brought along a laptop to play his 'movies'.
Towering over me, the 32-year-old who claimed to be a computer systems engineer said he has met girls of all ages and that it was only 'for fun'.
Roger did not believe I was a reporter.
He continued to call me after we parted, asking if I was available to talk to him.
After all those were ignored, he sent the SMS message: 'Can't chat anymore?'
tcheryl@sph.com.sg
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