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.
'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.
