Links
Some pretty links for you:
Hear the Chinese Ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva tell the U.S. to "shut up"
http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediaselector/check/worldservice/meta/tx/interview?nbram=1&nbwm=1&size=au&lang=en-ws&bgc=003399Pick your poison: National Day Rally 2006 in text/ audio/ video
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/nationalday/rally/
Stressed out and anxious in Beirut
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5248500.stm5th August 2006
It is very disheartening to read about the immense psychological damage that citizens of Beirut suffer as a result of this terrible conflict. Children will definitely be traumatized by witnessing such horrific events unfold before them. What's worse, the government is in no condition to resolve the problem, and even the UN talks are not very successful. When will this violence end? People suffer from lack of power and fuel, life just doesn't function. The social impact of this is quite frightening, especially when you take into account the millions of people in the world who are comparatively safe. It just does not seem fair that there are so many people who could make a difference who choose to do nothing. I am sure that the world has such people. Of course it is dangerous and risky to do anything in the given situation (besides talking in comfortable conference rooms, of course), but if no action is taken, nothing will happen. The UN is there, definitely, but it should not be taken as a safety net for every peacekeeping need. Each country should take into account their own responsibility in the global arena, and act accordingly to the best of their abilities.
Christian anger at conversion law
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/5246328.stm4th August 2006
How narrow-minded people are these days! Surely every human is allowed the fundamental right of which religion they choose to follow. It is extremely unfair to force people to believe in just one religion just because it is what the government wants. In this modern day and age, dictatorships and their kind of laws should be frowned upon, not revived. Every religion should be given equal chance to gain followers, and only by this way can they prove their true worth among the global communities. People may say, "All is fair in love and war." But this battle for followers among various religions should be fought out fairly and without people being forced. It will only cause discontent and, as this article shows, upheaval among the affected religous parties. The world is suffering from enough conflict as it is, especially between Israel and Hezbollah, we do not need more of any kind to create more rifts.
UN locked in resolution wrangle
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5244572.stmand
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_world/view/223224/1/.html4th August 2006
Why can't France and ths US just come to a compromise? Granted, it is not easy when each country wants their own way, believing in their self-righteousness, but the suffering has gone on for too long. The need for a resolution to this problem is highly urgent, surely the two countries can put aside their differences and try and see things from the viewpoints of others, rather than think that their viewpoint is the best, or be so shallow as to think that their viewpoint IS the best for the Israeli community. It is apalling that even adults can be so stubborn even in the face of such terrible violence. I'm sure the international community (if they know any better, that is) will not mind if the UN chooses a solution that could potentially upset certain countries, but the priority here is to end the violence from an objective perspective, everything else should not be considered at an equal or higher level than this.
However it is understood that Israel is in a real rut in terms of options. Should they keep their military forces out there, the violence cannot stop. But if they pull back, they lose their defences. Thus it is best that the UN send peacekeeping forces as soon as possible to allow the Israeli army to pull back. A ceasefire force should be the first step even while the negotiations carry on, buying the UN more time to come up with a long term solution while acting as a temporary solution. There has been too much talking and not enough action. If they want any hope of changing the situation for the better, the UN really should act sooner.
New water filtration system doubles output of NEWater
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/223158/1/.html4th August 2006
Singapore has long suffered with the problem of scarce water. Water is a most precious and important resource, especially in the industrial sector. NEWater has, since it's introduction, been very useful for industries. Should the plant be able to produce more NEWater than the current rates, it will aid producers greatly. In the economic sense, when there is a larger supply of water, the price will fall and reduce the overall cost of production for the respective induestries. It will in turn reduce the price of products and the consumer's real income has increased in value. So from this we can see how small things such as this can make such an impact on the economy. In this area, every little bit helps.
