'Anti-obesity vaccine' developed
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/5232150.stm31st July 2006
This bit of news brings a lot more skepticism than it does hope. After all, such things seem too good to be true, what with the slew of 'magical' slimming or diet 'solutions' available on the market. Reading further would prove this to be true; taking this vaccine may cause detrimental effects upon the volunteer's brain. What's more, things like these are risky and cannot be undone. Say it with me: Only in America. Of course nothing beats a healthy lifestyle and correct diet to maintain a healthy weight. Haven't people learned from the Slim 10 incidents and all those stories about women who die needlessly from dodgy plastic surgery?
Looking around, we see this isn't true, not even by a long shot. You still can see advertisements for physical enhancement everywhere, claiming to be the perfect, fast-acting way out of a socially unacceptable physical appearance. The media is mostly to blame, being one of the most accessible and effective influences. Those people who subscribe to the idea that whatever our government gives us is propaganda, yet conform to whatever the media says is fashionable or acceptable are terrible hypocrites. If people were just happy with being healthy and how they were born to be, irregularities such as these weight loss pills etc. would never be a threat, and scientists would never be looking into things that aren't natural and tinkering with the system.
We all know that America has a very high percentage of obese people. This can be attributed to affluence and (again!) consumerism: the amount of foods with empty calories available in their local supermarkets are astounding. Vast numbers of candy and snack or 'instant' food that taste better and are more convenient than cooking a proper meal- or biting into a fresh fruit for that matter. Then there's the booming trade in fast food. (Ironic to think that this is the country that advocates the idea that stick-thin is beautiful.)
It all boils down to one question: Do we really need this vaccine? Humans have lived perfectly well without it for hundreds of years and they haven't complained yet. Scientists should invest their government's money in something more constructive that would benefit a large majority of citizens, both American and global.
Heat wave strains US power supply, shuts down MySpace website
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_world/view/221248/1/.html26 July 2006
It is very frightening that such heat would cause power failures all around the affected regions. Imagine the suffering that these people have to go through! Not only do they have to deal with the unbearable heat, but they also cannot make use of electric fans and other electricity-powered appliances to make life a little more comfortable. There will also be a lot of wastage incurred by this heatwave: food that requires freezing or cooling will definitely spoil, money-earning websites and others (such as MySpace as mentioned in the article) will cause monetary losses for the respective companies if their servers overheat and shut down. Furthermore, such extreme weather is likely to cause people to fall sick, if not to exaggerate existing illnesses. There is little that can be done for these unfortunate citizens with power failures, but perhaps small things such as stocking up on food that does not require refridgeration and batteries would aid them somewhat.
Israel rules out rapid truce as war jets bomb Beirut
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_world/view/221223/1/.html26 July 2006
This is very alarming, as yet again the conflict in Israel has caused not only expensive damage to infrastructure, but has also cost many, many lives. Most of them are innocent. Also, this has caused a lot of social upheaval as the delicate democracy of Lebanon is affected by this conflict. For the conflict to last longer would definitely cause much more harm and destruction, politically, socially, culturally and economically. It is very sad that such conflict exists in the world that cannot be solved quickly. It would have been much better if, instead of resorting to violence, the two countries involved utilized diplomacy.
Initiatives announced to improve teaching, learning of English
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/221129/1/.html25 July 2006
I think this is an excellent initiative, as communication is very important. I am sure that Singaporeans do not want to be known as the people who made a mockery of the English language (as I have heard a friend comment before). Even though we may not be the only ones doing this e.g Singlish and slang, still it is not an excuse for us to continue that way. Sure, some people may only be able to communicate in dialects, but in the future generations, even as learning Chinese becomes popular we must not forget the language that links people around the world together. It is still one of the most widely utilized languages and if our students, the future pillars of society, do not learn it properly, it would be most embarrassing and above all, a bane towards the future of Singapore. We are a developed country, and should thus have the characteristics of one, which definitely includes good language skills.
It is good that they are starting with young children as they are at the most impressionable age. I think it would be shallow to argue that it is merely government propaganda, as I have mentioned the importance of it to our country. I myself dislike hearing bad English being spoken (though I admit I am guilty of doing so), as it makes the speaker very hard to understand. One of the things that I feel must be addressed is pronunciation and enunciation. Good grammar only gets you so far; it is the clearly spoken word that can get the message across. As it is with me learning Chinese, spoken language would be the most important as it is the root of communication. Before pen and paper, typewriters and instant messaging, there was speech, which is the most basic and convenient tool for communication.
Singapore has had various "Speak Good English" campaigns and suchlike, but still the effort has to be kept up if we want our citizens to speak at least standard English, not to mention reading and writing.
Link to related post on learning to speak Chinese:
http://charmology.blogspot.com/2006/06/get-ahead-learn-mandarin.html
Observers impressed with Singapore's preparedness against flu pandemic
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/220691/1/.html22 July 2006
It's good to see one's country being so prepared for such a potential health threat such as a flu pandemic. It can give Singaporeans assurance and a sense of security that should anything out of the ordinary happen, we would be prepared to deal with it. Plus, nothing would catch us completely off guard or result in unnecessary panic that could affect the people's morale, and perhaps faith in the government. Certain things such as these do wonders for the mindset of the people, and this is an important factor in any society. One example of insecurity leading to social upheaval is when, afraid of a black uprising, only the whites were allowed to handle guns, and this resulted in a lot of carnage and suffering. We do not want a society where only, say, the intellectuals were allowed to handle drugs, resulting in pandemics and drug abuse of varying levels.
Iraq announces peace plan, refuses foreign interference
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_world/view/220696/1/.html23 July 2006
I think that this is a good step in the direction of peace. Even in the case that peace talks do not succeed, at least the intent was there. And I also agree with them on their stand of refusing third party interference, particularly from America. Sometimes conflict arises over cultural conflict that even the Americans may not be able to understand, and only the parties involved may be able to resolve the conflict due to these undercurrents. Americans should not presume that they know best. This has resulted in much resented Americanization, which, fortunately or not, is rather successful. I agree that Americans can sometimes be rather meddlesome, and if they really know best, ought to keep out of certain disputes which never did involve them to begin with.
Death toll from tropical storm Bilis rises to 170 in China
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/cna/cgi-bin/search/search_7days.pl?status=&search=tropical%20storm%20bilis&id=219660
17 July 2006
How terrible it is that there are natural disasters claiming the lives of civilians everywhere. There was the tsunami, now a tropical storm. Perhaps these events are signs of how human activity has altered our natural environment so drastically that such extreme weather is experienced. I feel lucky that here in Singapore we are relatively safe from such things, and that the worst weather is probably not more than a thunderstorm.
One might wonder how these countries are going to deal with the aftermath of these natural disasters. After all, help from other countries can only go so far after the media spotlight moves on.
At least 37 dead as Indonesia's tsunami nightmare returns
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/cna/cgi-bin/search/search_7days.pl?status=&search=tsunami&id=21968517th July 2006
This is saddening news indeed, especially in the wake of the previous tsunami which still has citizens of affected regions reeling from the effects. This would definitely affect tourism and the economy, and it being the second tsunami that Indonesia has suffered, it is a double whammy.
So far the death toll stands at 37, yet this is a pending value as witnesses have stated seeing bodies all around. What is more, two inmates from a prison are missing, two militants on death row for the Bali bombings. This is very depressing. Not only are many dead, but two are possibly free who can cause more death.
Don't Fear The Future
Newsweek, June 19 2006 Page 34This article refutes the negativities of globalisation and states that, on the contrary, should embrace these changes in favour of our global economy. I think it is very important that all economies should strive, as far as possible, to openess as it brings plenty of benefit: 50% increase in world trade! Imagine how much we are losing due to inefficiency among the economies.
Furthermore there is the issue of protectionism, barriers that can limit trade. And while this may serve to benefit respective domestic economies, ultimately the most important thing is global benefit. All economies have become irreversibly interdependent on each other, so once global benefit has been achieved it automatically indicates benefit for all economies. How to go about this is spelled out in the article itself: with “global sourcing of goods and services”. The only problem here is getting the global public to understand that although globalization does cause a certain degree of unemployment, it also has its own benefits.
Every country has their own strength, and in this massive industrial and economic global restructuring, each should bank on their own strengths and be willing to share with other countries. Although this seems easy enough in theory, it will be hard to get countries to share willingly due to historical backgrounds, cultural differences and suchlike. My only hope here is that in order for global benefit all countries will be able to do what needs to be done, thinking not solely for themselves, but for the long term effect that it could bring.
The Impact of Oil
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/eastasia/view/217156/1/.htmlAND
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_asiapacific/view/217166/1/.html4 July 2006
This is indeed disturbing as it reflects the impact that oil prices have on the social aspect of things. Though many may think that the rise in oil prices has an impact that is mainly economical and not social, these articles show but a couple of the effects that the fluctuating oil prices have on us average citizens around the world. Taxi fares are rising, but the customers don't seem to be complaining. However, surprisingly the taxi drivers themselves seem to have a thing or two to say about it. One would think that they would be happy with the fare hike as this benefits them, but it seems that they'd rather be given petrol money than that little bit of extra fare.
In the second article, we can see how a shortage of fuel due to high prices (they are unable to pay for the fuel thus they cannot buy enough) compromises the security of mariners, as without the patrolling forces pirates are able to attack and loot defenceless merchant ships. Even worse off are those affected ships which were bound for regions which required aid, as those in crisis-stricken regions would suffer.
There is not much that can be done for these situations, however we as average citizens can do our part by conserving oil and fuel, for example by taking public transport instead of driving or not using electricity when it is not required.
