I was reading this article called Household incomes, living standards have gone up on The Straits Times after dinner. There were actually lots of information about Singapore’s recent household income. I was thinking that it might be useful for my essays in the future, so I shared it here in case if it would be useful for others too.

A government survey (conducted every 5 years, based on data collection in 2017 and 2018 from 13,100 Singaporeans):

– Families across all income groups are earning more than they did five years ago and, in general, their incomes are rising faster than their spending.

– The standard of living has continued to rise

– 2012 – 2013, household monthly income rose from SGD$10, 470 to SGD$11,780

– If inflation is taken into account, the rise is 2.2% per year

– The top 20% income group monthly expenditure remains stable at SGD$7.573, while their income grew 1.6% a year to touch SGD$26,587

– The bottom 20% income group’s income jump 2.8% a year to reach SGD$2,235, spending SGD$2,570 a month on average (they were the only ones whose annual growth in spending outstripped their rise in earnings)

Here is the link of the original article: https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/household-incomes-living-standards-have-gone-up-in-five-years-govt-survey

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During their four years in power, the Khmer Rouge executed selected groups of people (like bankers, lawyers, teachers, doctors, etc.) who they believed to be enemies of the state or revolution. People who they perceived to be intellectuals or even those that had stereotypical signs of learning, such as wearing glasses, were killed. The official reason given by the Khmer Rouge for the intellectual cleansing was that they wanted to “rid the nation of it’s enemies”. They supposedly wanted to ensure that everyone was equal and that there were no social or oppressive classes. Those who had an education were considered part of an “oppressive class” and were executed.

I believe that the real reason that the Khmer Rouge executed those who had an education was to rid the nation of any potential threats to their revolution. Since those who had an education seemed the most likely to overthrow the regime, find ways to avoid the forced labour without being punished and coerce the population into protesting against the revolution (because they had the capability and knowledge to do so), they were the first ones to be executed.

In an effort to transform Cambodia (or Democratic Kampuchea, as the Khmer Rouge named it) into an “agrarian utopia”, the Khmer Rouge evacuated Phnom Penh by telling it’s inhabitants that the U.S. was soon going to bomb the city. Those who refused to leave were forced out or executed. By alerting everyone to the fact that, if they didn’t evacuate they would be killed, the Khmer Rouge had achieved the first step towards their ultimate goal: everyone was going to live in the countryside/provinces where they could cultivate land.

This tactic was probably used because it was the most effective way of moving the city dwellers to the countryside. After the Vietnam War, Cambodians were so afraid of the U.S bombing raids (because they had either experienced or heard about the ones that took place in east Vietnam), that they would do anything to escape it. This fear that existed within the population made it easy to arrange mass evacuations. Those who still refused to evacuate, which surprisingly consisted of thousands of people, were forced to march at gunpoint.

The Khmer Rouge did away with healthcare services such as hospitals and clinics because they wanted to work towards an fully independent agrarian society with no western influences. Since hospitals and clinics were western influences, they were closed down. The Khmer Rouge believed that in order to create a fully independent society, everyone must use traditional methods of healing and curing illnesses.

The Khmer Rouge also created a new calendar with 1975 as the “Year Zero” because they wanted to emphasize to the population the start of a new era, the beginning of a new Cambodia. In history, the Year Zero normally signifies the start of a new era where everything about societies is different: the culture, laws, religion, etc. The events before the Year Zero are normally not taken into account as seriously as the events that take place after the Year Zero. Since Pol Pot and his associates wanted the population and the rest of the world to forget the “old Cambodia” and only remember DK, he created a new calendar where 1975, the year when DK was created, would be the Year Zero.

Other tactics used by the Khmer Rouge in working towards a classless agrarian society included the separation of families and banning religion. They believed that parents were tainted with capitalism, which was a foreign policy that was against the policy of DK. Consequently, children were separated from their parents and indoctrinated in communism as well as taught the use of heavy artillery and torture methods with animals. Children were favored by the Khmer Rouge because their minds were the easiest to manipulate. Since children often practiced their knowledge from childhood in adulthood, the Khmer Rouge wanted to ensure that the new generation of people in DK would be educated in the principles of Communism.

All religion other than the Khmer religion was banned. Any people seen taking part in religious rituals or services would be executed. Several Buddhists, Muslims and Christians were killed for exercising their beliefs. Even those who came from foreign countries such as Vietnam or China were forbidden to speak their native language or practice non-Khmer religion.

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It is quite hard for me to choose IGCSE courses (especially the art section). I am choosing computer science for art. I was quite interested in coding in the last few months, but when dad started to teach me how to code (c language), I found it so hard. It is a combination of logic and maths, which I am really not good at. On the other hand, I did a little bit of coding by myself mainly to see how well it can design a webpage.

In IGCSE’s arts, you can choose Art, Photography, Computer Science and Dance. Dance is eliminated first as I never want to dance. Photography I am not interested. But for art, as I did pretty well in art class (painting), I am actually a bit more interested. I like drawing and designing things. And computer science, as I mentioned before, is not something I will be really good at. But obviously, I will have more potential doing Computer Science and to do art you need to spend a lot of time on it and do really good time management.

In Lifeskills class at school, I did a personality test on the website 16personalities.com. It is said to be the best personality testing website, and it will know you so well that you will be understand by others for the first time.

These are the 16 personalities:

Analysts

“Architect”

INTJ (-A/-T)

Imaginative and strategic thinkers, with a plan for everything.

“Logician”

INTP (-A/-T)

Innovative inventors with an unquenchable thirst for knowledge.

“Commander”

ENTJ (-A/-T)

Bold, imaginative and strong-willed leaders, always finding a way – or making one.

“Debater”

ENTP (-A/-T)

Smart and curious thinkers who cannot resist an intellectual challenge.

Diplomats

“Advocate”

INFJ (-A/-T)

Quiet and mystical, yet very inspiring and tireless idealists.

“Mediator”

INFP (-A/-T)

Poetic, kind and altruistic people, always eager to help a good cause.

“Protagonist”

ENFJ (-A/-T)

Charismatic and inspiring leaders, able to mesmerize their listeners.

“Campaigner”

ENFP (-A/-T)

Enthusiastic, creative and sociable free spirits, who can always find a reason to smile.

Sentinels

“Logistician”

ISTJ (-A/-T)

Practical and fact-minded individuals, whose reliability cannot be doubted.

“Defender”

ISFJ (-A/-T)

Very dedicated and warm protectors, always ready to defend their loved ones.

“Executive”

ESTJ (-A/-T)

Excellent administrators, unsurpassed at managing things – or people.

“Consul”

ESFJ (-A/-T)

Extraordinarily caring, social and popular people, always eager to help.

Explorers

“Virtuoso”

ISTP (-A/-T)

Bold and practical experimenters, masters of all kinds of tools.

“Adventurer”

ISFP (-A/-T)

Flexible and charming artists, always ready to explore and experience something new.

“Entrepreneur”

ESTP (-A/-T)

Smart, energetic and very perceptive people, who truly enjoy living on the edge.

“Entertainer”

ESFP (-A/-T)

Spontaneous, energetic and enthusiastic people – life is never boring around them.

Well as you see, all of these personalities have things they are good at, but obviously some of them are better than the others. Most of my classmates are “Protagonists”, who are “

Charismatic and inspiring leaders, able to mesmerise their listeners.” Actually this might be one of the best personalities. But my personality is the only one in my class, represented by this weird guy:

Adventurer
Actually I find it cool that the website knows what kind of person I am. I am always exploring things. I also read the article for adventurers: https://www.16personalities.com/isfp-personality
The article says that “The biggest challenge facing ISFPs is planning for the future. Finding constructive ideals to base their goals on and working out goals that create positive principles is no small task. Unlike Sentinel types, ISFPs don’t plan their futures in terms of assets and retirement. Rather, they plan actions and behaviors as contributions to a sense of identity, building a portfolio of experiences, not stocks.

So as a conclusion, my biggest aim this year is to be more organized, and also start to think about my future, what I am going to do and what short-term goals I should reach. Or else no matter how many adventures there are, they will all be useless without a reasonable plan.

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About 12m Africans were forced onto European slave ships

Between the 15th and 19th Centuries, it is estimated that up to 12m Africans were forced onto European slave ships and taken across the Atlantic.

Two hundred years after the British parliament voted to abolish the trade, the effects on Africa are still being felt.

Head to a village in northern Ghana or indeed many villages in West Africa and at times you might wonder what century you are in.

Even though Ghana has achieved impressive growth rates in recent years, the scene in many rural areas appears to have changed little with grass thatched mud walled huts.

There is often no electricity and yes, the water is collected in plastic containers these days but it is still quite an effort to fetch it.

‘A very long effect’

The Ghanaian historian and lawyer, Mohamed Shaibu Abdulai, says Africa’s loss of millions of the strongest men and women during the slave trade is one reason for this underdevelopment.

“The slave trade actually prevented the coming into being of an agrarian revolution in Ghana, and likewise an industrial revolution. Because before you can industrialise you need to have stable agricultural production. So slavery has a very long effect.”

Some estimate that without slavery the population of Africa would have been double the 25m it had reached by 1850.

“During slavery many of the able-bodied people, between 18 and 40, were taken out so society’s ability to reproduce itself economically, socially and culturally was impaired,” says Zagba Oyortey a Ghanaian cultural historian.

Gold or slaves?

Another legacy of the trans-Atlantic slave trade was the fuelling of conflicts and long lasting rifts between communities which in some cases remain.

INTERACTIVE MAP Follow dynamic trails across Africa, the Caribbean and the UK with text, images and audio to explore the abolition of British slavery
Interactive map

The European demand for slaves provided a lucrative business for the African slave raiders in the interior.

Many of the slaves were prisoners of war, and enslaving an enemy soon became a motive for going to war.

“European traders found it hard to get slaves during times of peace. However, when there was war, gold was scarce and slaves were widely available,” says Doctor Akosua Adoma Perbi, the head of the history department at Ghana’s Legon university.

“One traveller wrote in his memoirs that in 1681 he had got only eight slaves after combing the whole of Ghana’s coast from west to east. But when he asked why that was, he was told the people were at peace.

So warfare was a major source of slaves.

Period of great demand

A trader named Bosman wrote, “Wars make gold scarce but negroes plenty,” says Doctor Perbi.

Doctor Perbi has written a book on the history of indigenous slavery in Ghana which, she says, was affected by the trans-Atlantic slave trade.

“The greater demand for slaves for the external market resulted in an increased tapping of the indigenous sources of slave supply. This period of great demand for slaves also coincided with the introduction of guns and gunpowder into Ghana. Incessant wars of conquest, expansion, aggression and retaliation became a feature of the Ghanaian experience,” she writes.

The slave ships continued to ply the African coastline many years after the 1807 abolition bill was passed in Britain’s parliament.

But after the slave ships left, it was not long before the Africa was divided up and colonised by European countries.

‘A bit suppressed’

“The devastation left by the slave trade, and the absence of able-bodied people, made it easy for European powers to move in and colonise. Africa’s ability to defend itself was seriously compromised,” says Zagba Oyortey a Ghanaian cultural historian.

There has also been an impact on African culture.

To mark the 200th anniversary of the abolition of slavery, the South African musician Hugh Masekela, recently performed inside Elmina slave fort alongside musicians from Britain, the Caribbean and across Africa.

He says there is a need for African culture to be revived seeing as it was looked down upon and discouraged for so long.

“Africa is the only society which imitates other cultures. In other parts of the world culture is put at the forefront every day. But we only do it at ceremonies,” Masekela says.

Many young Ghanaians do not study their own history in any great depth as the subject is optional at secondary schools.

“The history of slavery should be taught in order for people to understand the effect it has had and continues to have,” says Elizabeth Ama Asare who has taught history at Accra’s Labone Secondary School for many years.

“Even today black people feel a bit suppressed when we come into contact with the whites and that is an effect of slave trade. It has put us in a second class position which shouldn’t be so.” 

BBC NEWS | Africa | Slavery’s long effects on Africa. (2007, March 29). Retrieved from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6504141.stm

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