Best platoon for second half of 2012 - Omega!

Hi,

The latest platoon points for 2012 are as such:

Epsilon: 598

Iota: 391

Omega: 625

So Omega is the best platoon for this second half of 2012! 

Your PMs are thinking of a suitable reward for you now, so look forward to something special in the first one or two weeks of training.

We'll be starting afresh for next year, so there'll be a chance to win (again).

-B61

New First Aid and Evacuation Guide!

Hi,

We've finally finished revamping the FA addendum! Now it's no longer a reference/encyclopedia-type document, it's made more as a guide to first aid and evacuation than merely a reference. While we've retained a lot of the content, we hope it'll be easier to read. Hopefully it'll be more useful as revision material after lessons or before accreditations. We might even use it in lessons.

Of course, it's merely a document, and first aid and evacuation are both largely practical subjects, so don't expect to learn everything from it.

Here it is:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/mfihrl3ahe8rf5w/First%20Aid%20and%20Evacuation%20Guide%20%2829%20Dec%202012%29.docx

Have fun reading! :)

-B61

List of Injuries

Hi All
         Attached below is the List of Injuries by B56---we have decided to keep it separate from the FA Addendum (which we are revamping and shifting away from a 'reference' approach, as was the case previously).
         
        In any case we believe this List is rather useful in providing a convenient and useful reference for most injuries that you would normally encounter in the course of your FA lessons, so happy reading :)

The link for downloading is as below:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/12503805/LIST%20OF%20INJURIES.docx

Looking forward to seeing you back in Training soon!
~~B61

Selflessness?

I'm going to start a series of musings, put up here to keep the blog a tad more interesting and alive and draw in more viewership (heck you guys might even actually learn something from these!1!311) So hooray.


So before that, here's a disclaimer: These opinions posted are mine and mine alone and are in no way reflective of what anyone else thinks. It's also fairly obvious who I am. So yes. These also aren't meant to attack anything/anyone and if you feel offended, you're probably being too uptight.

Oh but really, I might get a tad critical. If you can't stand people having a strong opinion, don't read on or you might get hurt :(


Anyway, we begin!

Inspired by http://theunichannel.blogspot.sg/2012/12/our-so-called-selflessness.html


I'll quickly summarise the post on the UniChannel: some random person went for some random thing, blabla some random stuff happened and some lecturer asked (and I quote) ‘Are we truly helping others or helping ourselves?’ in reference to volunteering and helping people in need. So this random person who is clearly somewhat unquestioning about widely-held beliefs (See also: sheeple) to have not considered this at all in his or her life suddenly faces a dilemma! Oh no! Teen-life crisis!


So s/he goes on to feel depressed because s/he always thought that altruism (something I'll cover later) exists but gosh her beliefs have been challenged by a single statement so she (and I quote) "got really lost in life and in the things [s/he did]. Like being a Volunteer Instructor for Red Cross Youth, helping a wheelchair person to cross the road and all the things I thought I did in the past which were good".


Ignoring the strange sentence structure, this person's LIFE basically just got flipped around by a single question that's so simple and yet s/he failed to consider for AT LEAST 16 years of his/her life. Oh and it's basically saying that s/he is confused as to whether or not s/he is helping others out and doing supposedly "good" things merely for her own self-gratification (google it up if you don't understand, kids) and for her own benefit. So the person's confused, conflicted, lost, blabla, very sad stuff.


But s/he comes to a conclusion! That made absolutely no sense at all! You can go read it yourself, but I believe what s/he's saying is something like the fact that one questions whether or not his intents are truely altruistic is good enough already and the person will somehow miraculously and magically find his way back to the right path! Whatever the heck that is. Whee.

The post then ends off with some irrelevant photo of some old woman carrying a kid in a blanket. With some weird quote about having hands to help yourself (that's what she said).


So - now begins the fun part (have you ever done dissection in bio? Oh wait, no, you're still little kiddies hoho but this is where I dissect her post)

ANYWAY, ignoring the fact that this person has SOMEHOW NOT CONSIDERED SOMETHING LIKE THIS FOR SO MANY YEARS OF HIS OR HER LIFE (an amazing feat in itself), the conclusion of the post is what gets me the most. It makes so many assumptions that even the assumption song (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TywmpMQYojs) can't compare.

Basically, it's saying that it's GOOD to be altruistic, that we should WANT to STRIVE towards being selfless and helping others for the sake of it. The audacity of someone to actually say this is galling.

Altruism: Pure altruism consists of sacrificing something for someone other than the self (e.g. sacrificing time, energy or possessions) with no expectation of any compensation or benefits, either direct, or indirect (e.g., receiving recognition for the act of giving). [Taken from Wikipedia]


OR


Ethical altruism: Altruism (also called the ethic of altruism, moralistic altruism, and ethical altruism) is an ethical doctrine that holds that individuals have a moral obligation to help, serve, or benefit others, if necessary, at the sacrifice of self-interest


OR


Altruism: Bulls!@# in its purest form.


Altruism is the practice of giving/helping others without expecting ANY form of reward to oneself, be it CIP hours or money or what have you. Furthermore, it's assumed that the less one gets from doing the good deed, the better it is.

Do you have any idea what that assumptions means? What it implies?

It means that the WORSE you feel and suffer when you're helping others, the BETTER the act is. If you do a good deed but feel good about yourself while doing it then HELL NO OH NO NO NO HOW DARE YOU FEEL GOOD THAT'S SELFISH!!!111111


So compare, for example, person A who helps a lot of people but feels like "hey i'm doing a good thing" and becomes happy because he's helping people due to his empathy, and person B who helps a lot of people at the expense of himself and he ends up feeling wretched, miserable and depressed and is never recognised for his works. Person B is the one that's more morally righteous! BUT if person B at any point of time feels good about what he does or thinks like "hey I'm doing this stuff to feel morally righteous" then his acts suddenly lose their value.


IN OTHER WORDS, the more you suffer due to your helping others, the better a person you are. So your goal in life is to SUFFER AS MUCH AS YOU CAN! Hooray!

If you STILL don't see a problem with that, feel free to pass me all of your money and belongings and live on the streets and suffer (no I'm kidding, please don't...pass it to a charity or something or I might get into trouble with your parents)

Ok but really, this philosophy EXPOUNDS leading a sad life, dedicated to OTHERS and you receive no form of reward at all for what you do. Why one would even believe that suffering is the ultimate good (see the problem there?) really is beyond my understanding.


Then we have ETHICAL altruism, which is the same as what I mentioned above but goes on to state that we have an OBLIGATION to help others. An obligation that pops out of nowhere and clings to us for life (like some unwanted girlfriend)!

In relation to this, let's look at one of the NE messages that no one actually gives a crap about, shall we?

"No one owes Singapore a living.

We find our own way to survive and prosper, turning challenge into opportunity."


Similarly, NO ONE OWES ANYONE A LIVING. Simple as that (unless you sign a contract or something saying that you owe some dood a living but that's pretty doubtful). We have no obligation to others, and there is in no way a necessity to SACRIFICE ourselves for the sake of OTHERS (I mean, there's no justification for where this obligation comes from, and lack of proof = doesn't exist. Like how we say there's no unicorns or dragons or women rights because there's no proof that there are and yes that's a joke don't get all uptight women rights exist women are great yay feminism!!)


Ultimately, the crux of the problem is this -- there seems to be this notion that being selfish is somehow inherently wrong. This notion that to help others in order to benefit yourself is IMMORAL and 'using' them (another idiotic phrase, everyone 'uses' each other anyway, that's the basis of any mutual relationship), while to do things that benefit yourself but not others is somehow morally acceptable. Probably stems from some random Confusian values or something (or was that Confucian) but it's just plain stupid. There is NOTHING wrong with "selfishness" - in fact some herald it as morally upright (google up ethical egoism). Humans are not born slaves to each other. We're not born into lives of servitude with the very purpose of our existence to suffer while attempting to bring joy into others' who's goals in life are also to suffer while bringing joy to others. Everything ends up being an orgy of misery and tears if we were to follow through with this ethical altruism crap and it just doesn't stand.


[a bit more philosophical part, if your brain's already been turned to mush feel free to go back to mapling or watching soccer or whatever it is]

The idea though, that to be "selfish" is to be evil is a funny one. All this, of course, leads back to purpose(s) in life, and that stems from what's objective. As far as I can tell, the only thing that's objectively good is happiness -- I mean really, that's pretty much the definition/idea of happiness. This means that anything that makes you happy is good (ethical egoism once again). Is this what people call selfishness? Perhaps. But those that would deem "selfishness" evil, those that would decry working hard for only oneself, are the true evil ones. They are the looters, the moochers, the ones that seek to live off those that have succeeded more than them. Ever seen people (P) whine about how rich people (RP) who come into their fortune rightfully "waste" their money on fancy cars and big houses and are therefore selfish and evil? True, it may not be necessary to waste money on nice cars and bungalows - but it's their money and their property and they can spend it any way they want and it's hardly "immoral" to do so. Then again somewhere in the P's narrow mind is this little thought that the money would be better spent if given to them by the RP, so yes.


Any ethical egoism does NOT mean that oh, everyone's selfish, oh everyone only cares for themselves and backstab each other and the world goes up in flames and fire!

In the words of James Rachels, "Ethical egoism [...] endorses selfishness, but it doesn't endorse foolishness." I may be an ethical egoist but still support, say, the development of schools in third world countries because that results in better education systems, improvements in those countries and eventual benefits to me. I may be an ethical egoist but still won't, for example, backstab people in order to get a promotion or something because ultimately that doesn't help me at all if I'm not capable enough for it and everything gets screwed anyway.


Anyway, this has been a long post, filled with many many different things, and you may have gotten lost somewhere along the way, but moral of the story is -- humans aren't and SHOULDN'T BE altruistic/selfless, and it's fine to be selfish and think for only oneself and his/her happiness. There's a lot more on this topic that I couldn't cover because that'd take a few thousand words more and I can't think properly at 3.40 in the morning, so I end off with a few interesting sentences from Wikipedia and google and all those fancy websites.


WIKIPEDIA: "Altruism, ultimately, denies an individual value and is therefore destructive both to society and its individual components, viewing life merely as a thing to be sacrificed. Rand is quoted as writing that, "[i]f a man accepts the ethics of altruism, his first concern is not how to live his life but how to sacrifice it."[12] Moreover, "[t]he basic principle of altruism is that man has no right to exist for his own sake, that service to others is the only justification for his existence, and that self-sacrifice is his highest moral duty, virtue or value." Rather, she writes, "[t]he purpose of morality is to teach you, not to suffer and die, but to enjoy yourself and live."

*Ayn Rand is an objectivist, the author of the books Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead - highly entertaining and enlightening reads, if not controversial. And yes Alfonse I know you think she's depraved or whatever


"Philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche suggested that egoistic or "life-affirming" behavior stimulates jealousy or "ressentiment" in others, and that this is the psychological motive for the altruism in Christianity. "


"All of our commonly accepted moral duties, from doing no harm unto others to speaking always the truth to keeping promises, are rooted in the one fundamental principle of self-interest."


"Other philosophers, such as Thomas Hobbes and David Gauthier, have argued that the conflicts which arise when people each pursue their own ends can be resolved for the best of each individual only if they all voluntarily forgo some of their aims - that is, one's self-interest is often best pursued by allowing others to pursue their self-interest as well so that liberty is equal among individuals. Sacrificing one's short-term self-interest to maximize one's long-term self-interest is one form of "rational self-interest" which is the idea behind most philosophers' advocacy of ethical egoism"


"Ayn Rand argued that there is a positive harmony of interests among free, rational humans, such that no moral agent can rationally coerce another person consistently with his own long-term self-interest."


Feel free to read the criticisms as well: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethical_egoism#Criticisms

Interesting stuff really. I do hope you search up more on these and start thinking and questioning.


Oh and another moral of the long blog post is to question everything, because there are widely-held beliefs that have real basis and are just being blindly followed, and you might be one of those little sheep bleating to the beat of the masses (if you haven't already gathered, it's not good to be one of those).


Thank you for enduring through all that, and once again, if you got offended or anything, then learn to lighten up because even the original poster on the UniChannel is perfectly fine with this post.

First Aid Addendum being revamped

Hi,

We're in the process of updating and revamping the First Aid Addendum on RIRC Treasure Chest. So please don't print it or anything until we upload the new one (we'll post on the blog when we do).

The new addendum will follow our current FA syllabus much more closely and will hopefully be useful for you to refer to for anything FA-related at home.

Thanks!

-B61

Omega's platoon CIP

Hi everyone,

Some of you may be wondering what happened to Omega's platoon CIP. Well, as the Omegans should know, we were planning to work with CHS Primary to give the students there FA lessons, but it didn't work out in the end. So we tried contacting some other organisations but got rejected as well. Then camp came and we got caught up with it. So now we're most likely going to work with HW Cafe, an organisation which helps children and teenagers with family problems with their homework and such. It also runs activities and camps for them. We'll probably help to run fun activities or perhaps help out more regularly. The details will soon be worked out with Omegans.

-B61

Consent form for camp

Hi,

The consent form for camp is finally here!

https://www.dropbox.com/s/ze7ztwuabxlmm34/consent%20form%20for%20RIRC%20NOV%20Camp%202012.pdf

Sorry again for uploading them so late.

Reminder for November camp

Hey guys,

This is a reminder that November camp is from 28th - 30th Nov, Wednesday to Friday.

Camp will start at 8.00am on 28th November, and end at 1.30pm on 30th November.

The reporting area is S. Rajaratnam Block foyer. PE attire or unit t-shirt should be worn.

Project Otella camp pack list

Hi,

Here's the pack list for November camp. Sorry for uploading it so late.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/fs24quax2j72tea/November%20Camp%20Packlist_v1.docx

We're rushing the teachers for the consent forms. Hopefully they'll be out in a few days' time.

*UPDATE* Please add in the following items in the packlist

• Promotion Form x 1 (filled up)

*UPDATE 2* Even if you know you don't meet the promotion criteria, you should still bring your uniform and tie or RCU because you might get promoted in principle.

*UPDATE 3* There's also no need for the mug since we will be drinking packet drinks.  Note that the bottles do not have to be Coke bottles.

*UPDATE 4* We have received many queries about missing uniform parts/incomplete uniform parts. If you have any of these, please bring your School Uniform + Tie. Missing incentive badges such as Evacuation, Footdrill etc, are not considered as missing uniform parts.

Promotion forms

Hi,

I hope you still remember the promotion forms that we briefed you all about quite a long time ago. We apologise for forgetting about these forms until now.

Filling in this form is necessary for you to get promoted. So please print the form out, fill in whatever details you can, and bring it for camp. We will give you the signatures in camp if you have met the respective criteria.

For Year 2s, please download and print this form:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/pw5j2d37yr2woab/Promotion%20Form%20%28CPL%29.pdf

For Year 1s, please download and print this form:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/w5ft9tg26in9e9g/Promotion%20Form%20%28LCP%29.pdf

Thanks! See you in a week's time for camp!

November Camp Promotions 2012

Dear all,

Please be reminded to bring your promotion forms for November Camp 2012. We haven't uploaded the form yet, so please wait for it.

If you have any problems with your promotion forms, please contact your respective Platoon Mentors.

As for November Camp 2012 Packlist and Consent Form, we will be uploading them soon.

As such, please check the blog regularly between now and camp.

Thank you.

FA Refresher training on Thursday 15/11/12

Hi All
         This is just a reminder that there WILL be FA Refresher training tomorrow as per usual arrangements, from 0900 to 1500. It's the last session so do try to make the most of it by putting in your best and clarifying any doubts that you still have. Your trainers are generally very happy with the progress that most of you have made since last week, so keep up the standards! :)

Thanks and Have a Nice Day :)

~B61

FA Refresher Trainings for Promotion Test

Hi All
        We'll be organizing the last two FA Refresher trainings on the 14th (Wednesday) and 15th (Thursday). The timing will be the same as last week, from 0900 to 1500. Attendance will be COMPULSORY.

Anyway some observations from last week's trainings from your Team Leaders/Trainers:

1. Good improvement in Team Dynamics and Communications! Most of you guys were able to respond to unfamiliar or drastic team configurations by being teamed up with different people at impromptu timings, and yet were able to handle the scenarios satisfactorily. Also most cadets made the effort to talk to their team mates and try to involve them or engage them in treatment of casualties~~less eye-powering.

2. FA knowledge and Bandaging Proficiency---could do a lot better. While most cadets 'know' how to tie correct bandages for most injuries that we threw at them throughout the last two trainings, they floundered when met with unconventional/uncommon injuries that require advanced experience (i.e mugging FA handbooks) or Improvisation.
An example would be an injury of "Burns to the Back"---the correct treatment would be to reverse the application of a normal chest bandage such that it now covers the burnt back area. During competitions and during your Promotion Test itself, you should Expect the Unexpected---do not expect the same old, typical scenarios or injuries every time.
Bandage Quality----still need more work on timing and quality, but a good improvement was observed in most cadets. Partly due to the 'stressful mentality' of scenarios that motivate people to tie them better.
CPR management---still needs more practice, but not such a big problem.


3. Reassuring of Casualties; Conduct & Professionalism----satisfactory and improving :)
Most cadets were able to get the hang of reassuring the casualty after some practice, handling the SAMPLE questions and approach of the casualty in an acceptably proficient manner. However you guys need to be more aware of your Conduct throughout the entire scenario---make-believe and faux it may appear, you will be expected to uphold the highest levels of professionalism and seriousness as First Aiders under any circumstance. Once again, do NOT:
-Laugh or joke around with team mates during treatment or in front of casualties. (X)

-Express doubts or appear unsure in front of the casualty in too obvious a manner. While you can (and should!) clarify any doubts in the course of treatment, do so discreetly. Do not reveal blatantly that you have 'forgotten' or "Don't know" how to treat nay injuries in earshot of the casualty (X)

-Treat the casualty or any passers-by with Rudeness or Disrespect The casualty or passers-by (their family members, friends, the public etc.) may panic or get distressed, but that does not give you the right to treat them rudely or violently. Approach them in a calm, courteous but firm manner by: (Asserting your role as a FAider) (Asking them to calm down/Go away, whichever is applicable) (EXPLAIN why---might obstruct course of treatment, aggravate injuries of casualty etc.)

Yup so that's basically the sum-up for last week's FA Refresher trainings. If you have any questions or doubts, do feel free to approach any NCO, or preferably, your Team leaders, for clarification. **OF COURSE---please do mug the FA Addendum as well as FA (B), (S) theory material in preparation for your tests (located in the Treasure Chest link below) . As they say, a little knowledge goes a long way, and it'll definitely be useful for your future promotions or accreditations eventually.

Have a Nice Break :)
~~B61

Extra trainings for promotion test

Hi,

We'll be having the two extra trainings for the promotion test on 7th and 9th November (Wednesday and Friday respectively). They will last from 9am to 3pm, with a lunch break in between.

EDIT: The location of the trainings should be at the third floor of the Yusof Ishak Block.

Hope you can make it.

EDIT: These trainings are compulsory.

-B61

Promotion test

Hi,

Here are the slides for the promotion test for your reference:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/0qmwmxhmehbsqxe/Promotional%20Exercise%20%28Nov%202012%29.ppt
Remember that we will be having extra trainings for this promotion test during the holidays, so do check your emails or Facebook (if you have one) regularly for updates from your group leaders (PMs).

-B61

SANA Course

Hey guys,

here are the details for tomorrow's SANA course:

Date: 5th November, Monday

People who signed up: Kelvinder, Shawn

Time: 8.30am to 5.30pm (lunch not provided)
Venue: 2 Sengkang Square #05-01,

             Singapore 545025 (Beside Compass Point Shopping Centre)

Attire: Mufti

Things to Bring: Stationary

Please make your own way there, as transport will not be provided.

Have a great time there!

November Camp Update

Hey guys,

this is a notification that November camp's date has been shifted to 28th - 30th Nov, Wednesday to Friday.
The camp packlist and details will be uploaded very soon so please check your emails and the blog regularly.

For all those who cannot make it for camp and have not highlighted it to us, please do so by sending an email stating the reason, attaching the evidence to support it, to rircb61@googlegroups.com by 18th November, Sunday 2359. Submissions of excuses later than the above date will not be entertained and the consequences will be severe.

That's it for now, do enjoy your Nov/Dec holidays!

RCY Campfire @ Northbrook Secondary School

Hey guys!

As we have told you, RIRC has been invited to NBSRCY's campfire on next friday, 9th November.
Here are the details of it for all those interested in going:

Time: 1900 - 2200
Attire: Smart casual
Venue: Northbrook Secondary School, Parade Square
*Transport will NOT be provided (though we can always arrange to meet at the MRT station before heading off)

We will need to prepare a 3-5min performance, which can always impromptu and plan on our way there. :p
For those interested in going please drop Samuel/Amos sir a note via sending an email to the b61 email group or comment on Kian Guang sir's post on the RIRC Facebook group.

It shall be a night of fun, merry and wine! See you there!