After 4 entries , I have read a lot of things that i am not very interested in before . Like the Mother tongue issue in Singapore , how Singapore can stay forever young , the plagiarism problems worldwide and the environmental issues .
These are the problems that a teenager like my age would not bother much about it even if we come across it in the papers or on the net . After reading those articles and blogging about them , i find that we have missed out on a lot of things in the past . Like the ongoing debate on whether to reduce the weightage of the Mother tongue language in PSLE which may affect our younger siblings and the problem with our aging population . This is regarding our own society and i am quite ashamed that we are not really bothered about it .
But the one that has made the most impact on me would be the environmental issue around the world . Every little thing that we are doing now would accumulate and damage the earth bit by bit . The things that we have done in the past have already damaged the ozone layer and it leaves us exposed to the UV rays which may cause skin diseases . What we have done is destroying the place which provides us with food and a place to live and we are indirectly hurting ourselves .
In conclusion , People must learn to take more care of the earth in order to try to preserve it for as long as possible .
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Ocean fish could disappear in 40 years: UN
After reading this article , I feel that all these problems may be caused by no others but ourselfs . If our demands for seafood are lowered , the fishermans would feel that even if they catch a huge ammount of fishes , not much people would be there to buy them . It is because our demand is high and thus gives them the impression that if they catch more , they would have higher profits . This results in fishermans fishing almost everyday which decreases the population in the sea .
Another reason will be that the factories near to the rivers are releasing unwanted wastage into the rivers which will eventually flow into the ocean thus polluting it . This will cause many sea creatures to die . The factories workers may think that what they are doing is very convinient compared to having to deal with the wastein the correct way , but what they are doing is going to damage the environment in the long term .
In conclusion , I feel that people should start to care for the environment . What we are doing everyday like littering may be a minor thing to us . But if everyone does the same thing , it will gradually destroy the environment . The ozone layer is already damaged and if people dont take action and still take it for granted . We will lose the place we are living in , Earth , VERY SOON..
Another reason will be that the factories near to the rivers are releasing unwanted wastage into the rivers which will eventually flow into the ocean thus polluting it . This will cause many sea creatures to die . The factories workers may think that what they are doing is very convinient compared to having to deal with the wastein the correct way , but what they are doing is going to damage the environment in the long term .
In conclusion , I feel that people should start to care for the environment . What we are doing everyday like littering may be a minor thing to us . But if everyone does the same thing , it will gradually destroy the environment . The ozone layer is already damaged and if people dont take action and still take it for granted . We will lose the place we are living in , Earth , VERY SOON..
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
My Self Reflection on the past 4 weeks
For the past 4 weeks, there are different kinds of articles being introduced to me. The articles are about how Singaporean splits on Mother Tongue weightage, how Singapore can stay forever young, plagiarism and the environmental issues. After reading and analysing those articles, I felt more knowledgeable about the current affairs.
It would be a rare occasion for me to read newspaper or finding information about the current affairs as I was more interested in my own hobby than finding out about my surrounding. Youth these days pay less attention to the happenings around them. Only caring about what interest them, people miss the chance to find out more important things that might affect their life forever. For example, by reading on how Singaporean splits on Mother Tongue weightage, we could find out the importance of Mother Tongue issue in our multi-racial society or about how different people have their own different view on the subject.
Not only that, reading on how Singapore can stay forever young also helps us to improve ourselves for the better so that we can support our country better so that it would stay forever young in the eyes of the world. Also, we learnt how plagiarism caused people to lose their creativity and originality. By reading about the environmental issues, it opened my eyes and showed me that the world is in danger of losing many species. Just because of our careless doing, many things could extinct and destroyed. After reading the articles, I felt that we have to do something to help the world, by finding out our own part in this world and do something to make this world a better place to live in.
It would be a rare occasion for me to read newspaper or finding information about the current affairs as I was more interested in my own hobby than finding out about my surrounding. Youth these days pay less attention to the happenings around them. Only caring about what interest them, people miss the chance to find out more important things that might affect their life forever. For example, by reading on how Singaporean splits on Mother Tongue weightage, we could find out the importance of Mother Tongue issue in our multi-racial society or about how different people have their own different view on the subject.
Not only that, reading on how Singapore can stay forever young also helps us to improve ourselves for the better so that we can support our country better so that it would stay forever young in the eyes of the world. Also, we learnt how plagiarism caused people to lose their creativity and originality. By reading about the environmental issues, it opened my eyes and showed me that the world is in danger of losing many species. Just because of our careless doing, many things could extinct and destroyed. After reading the articles, I felt that we have to do something to help the world, by finding out our own part in this world and do something to make this world a better place to live in.
My opinion on the article "Ocean fish could disappear in 40 years: UN"
This article shows us how the environment has been greatly affected by our everyday life. The fish is predicted to be gone from this world soon, if we do not take care of the environment more seriously.
We should start to participate in conserving the nature so that we can prevent the extinction of fish and other species from this world. This article shows that the environmental experts have banned trading of the fish which are soon going to be extinct. This was done as the fish stocks in the world is depleting and the only way to save it is by cutting down on our demand of fish. However, when we do that, the fisherman, whose job is to catch fish and sell them, feel unjust as their job is being restricted and decreased little by little. Many people from poor countries also depend of fish for their meal. This makes the fish stock to decrease even more and only the cheap kind of fish is still lurking around in big numbers.
The thought of fish disappeared from the Earth is unimaginable to me. It is believed that by showing more care for the environment, we can save the Earth and ourselves. Earth is our home and as we are living it in, the best thing we can do is to take care of it better or we would suffer the consequences ourselves.
We should start to participate in conserving the nature so that we can prevent the extinction of fish and other species from this world. This article shows that the environmental experts have banned trading of the fish which are soon going to be extinct. This was done as the fish stocks in the world is depleting and the only way to save it is by cutting down on our demand of fish. However, when we do that, the fisherman, whose job is to catch fish and sell them, feel unjust as their job is being restricted and decreased little by little. Many people from poor countries also depend of fish for their meal. This makes the fish stock to decrease even more and only the cheap kind of fish is still lurking around in big numbers.
The thought of fish disappeared from the Earth is unimaginable to me. It is believed that by showing more care for the environment, we can save the Earth and ourselves. Earth is our home and as we are living it in, the best thing we can do is to take care of it better or we would suffer the consequences ourselves.
Monday, June 14, 2010
Self-reflection about my thoughts and opinions over the last four weeks of blogging
After the last four weeks of blogging , i found that all the topics blogged about are very interesting and have various effects on the society and environment as a whole, out of some which i had not much idea about until i started reading it.
Topics such as the split in views over Mother Tongue weighting and how Singapore can stay forever young have opened me up to different perspectives from the general public about their visions of Singapore for the future and how they felt that the change in Mother Tongue weighting would affect the students and the society. Learning all these is very important because we live in Singapore, therefore it is essential to know the latest developments in the country and have a personal opinion on how you feel about it.
On the other hand, topics such as plagiarism and environment awareness have taught me to be more aware about the society as a whole. It is because in the topic of plagiarism, it shows the seriousness of the issue and that we should pay more attention to it because a lot of people commit this offence without knowing which would lead to serious consequences. In fact, i didnt know the seriousness of the issue until i read the articles. This taught me to be more independent when doing my work and not rely so much on the internet or books so much.
However, the article which left a deep impression on me is the topic on the environment. It is because issues such as Mother Tongue weighting, plagiarism and visions on how Singapore can stay forever young can be solved through implementing various government policies. But the damage done to the environment by man is irrecoverable and it is one of those issues where u think it cant get worse and it does the next day. Not even government policies can ensure that it wouldn't get worse and all this would lead to a situation where it would lead to serious repercussions for the future generations. Now we have a situation where it is just a case of damage-limitation and we can only hope that the people responsible would be aware of what they have done and that the situation would not get worse 40-50 years down the road.
In conclusion, this blogging exercise have encouraged me not just to read up more about the society, but also be more aware of the activities happening not just around me and affecting the earth generally.
WEI JIE
Topics such as the split in views over Mother Tongue weighting and how Singapore can stay forever young have opened me up to different perspectives from the general public about their visions of Singapore for the future and how they felt that the change in Mother Tongue weighting would affect the students and the society. Learning all these is very important because we live in Singapore, therefore it is essential to know the latest developments in the country and have a personal opinion on how you feel about it.
On the other hand, topics such as plagiarism and environment awareness have taught me to be more aware about the society as a whole. It is because in the topic of plagiarism, it shows the seriousness of the issue and that we should pay more attention to it because a lot of people commit this offence without knowing which would lead to serious consequences. In fact, i didnt know the seriousness of the issue until i read the articles. This taught me to be more independent when doing my work and not rely so much on the internet or books so much.
However, the article which left a deep impression on me is the topic on the environment. It is because issues such as Mother Tongue weighting, plagiarism and visions on how Singapore can stay forever young can be solved through implementing various government policies. But the damage done to the environment by man is irrecoverable and it is one of those issues where u think it cant get worse and it does the next day. Not even government policies can ensure that it wouldn't get worse and all this would lead to a situation where it would lead to serious repercussions for the future generations. Now we have a situation where it is just a case of damage-limitation and we can only hope that the people responsible would be aware of what they have done and that the situation would not get worse 40-50 years down the road.
In conclusion, this blogging exercise have encouraged me not just to read up more about the society, but also be more aware of the activities happening not just around me and affecting the earth generally.
WEI JIE
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill (Environmental day) Thierry
This blog entry is regarding the recent Deepwater Horizon Oil spill, or as it is more commonly known, the BP (British Petroleum) oil spill. The BP Oil spill is a massive ongoing oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, now considered the largest offshore oil spill in the US history. The gusher is estimated to be flowing at 12000 to 100000 barrels per day. gThe spill was a result of a sea floor oil gusher that came with the April 20 2010 Deepwater Horizon drilling rig explosion. Of present, the oil spill has been closely scrutinized by the media, largely due to BP's questionable response to the oil spill, and the environmental threat the oil spill poses.
While BP officials say that everything possible has been done, a recent review done by Associated Press writers, of BP's 582 page regional spill plan for the Gulf of Mexico , tell a different story. The review revealed a number of shocking errors and omissions in BP's spill response plans, reflecting on the companies preparedness and seriousness with dealing with an oil spill.
For example, BP's response plans include Dr. Peter Lutz, a Florida professor listed as a wildlife expert for a Gulf oil spill, who had died 4 years before the response plan was published.
The plan lists cold-water marine mammals including walruses, sea otters, sea lions and seals as "sensitive biological resources", despite the fact that none of these animals live anywhere close to the Gulf.
The ongoing Oil Spill is around 10 times worse than the spill scenarios depicted in the documents, in which fish, marine mammals and birds escape serious harm; beaches remain pristine and water quality is only a temporary problem.
The website listed for Marine Spill Response Corp, one of the two firms that BP relies on for equipment to clean a spill, links to a defunct Japanese website. These are just among the many errors and oversights in BP's oil spill response plan.
While the credibility of BP continues to come in to question with every unsuccessful attempt to cap the oil spill, the situation continues to spiral with BP's response. In an interview with BBC a month ago, BP's chief executive officer, Tony Hayward, shifted the blame to the US owner of the sunken drilling rig, Transocean, saying that "This was not our accident...This was not our drilling rig... This was Transocean's rig. Their systems. Furthermore, Tony Hayward's comment that "There's no one who wants this over more than I do. I'd like my life back", caused a public outrage, as his comments were insensitive of the 11 workers who died in the oil rig explosion, and their families.
Experts fear that the spill will result in an environmental disaster. Although Hayward insisted that the environmental impact of the oil spill would be "very very modest" on May 18 2010, expert opinion and present statistics beg to differ. As of June 7, dead animals found in the spill zone include 594 dead birds, 250 sea turtles, 30 dolphins and other mammals, and 1 reptile. The spill threatens the ecology around the gulf area due to factors such as petroleum toxicity and oxygen depletion
Monday, June 7, 2010
My opinion on Plagiarism
My view on Plagiarism is that if it’s not stopped soon, the world will lose all of its creativity. According to dictionary, to plagiarize means to take the work or an idea of someone else and pass it off as one’s own. So if someone plagiarizes someone else’s work, it means taking the credit for the original creator’s work. It would be unfair to take claim of other’s work. Furthermore, the outcome of plagiarism is something that is not original and this act can make people becoming lazier to think or invent new things for the future. If that happens, the future of humankind would be appalling.
The first article shows a case in Japan whereby the Tokyo University dismissed a Turkish assistant professor for plagiarism. That was the first case ever happened in the university. Usually, students are the ones who plagiarise. Students often do that as they think it is the easiest and fastest way to finish their work. The other article shows that the schools have taken actions against plagiarism by telling their students to write a bibliography to credit the authors for their works. By doing that, the students are taught and the importance of not taking things for granted, especially about plagiarism.
By: Felicia Natalia
The first article shows a case in Japan whereby the Tokyo University dismissed a Turkish assistant professor for plagiarism. That was the first case ever happened in the university. Usually, students are the ones who plagiarise. Students often do that as they think it is the easiest and fastest way to finish their work. The other article shows that the schools have taken actions against plagiarism by telling their students to write a bibliography to credit the authors for their works. By doing that, the students are taught and the importance of not taking things for granted, especially about plagiarism.
By: Felicia Natalia
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Views on the article- Ocean fish could disappear in 40 years: UN
After reading this article, i feel that the fact that Ocean fishes could disappear in 40 years is a strong warning to all that we should start to think about the environment and learn how to preserve it, otherwise, it would lead to serious consequences for us and even worse, the future generations.
The reason i feel this way is because in this realistic world we live in today, people only care about themselves and how to earn more money. In the case of this article, they know that if they fish more, they can sell and earn more profits for themselves in the process. But in the process of doing this, they do not know that they are taking away part of the Earth's "resources" in the form of the fishes, for their own gain. Some of them might argue that if no one is stopping this extensive amount of fishing, why should they? But if they do not even take the initiative to stop this, who will? In addition, most people do not know that oceans make up 71% of the Earth's surfaces. If they are fishless by 40 years, it would also mean statistically, there is a possibility that 71% of the food sources might be gone from the Earth too. And it doesn't just stop there, because this would lead to a chain reaction whereby the animals which rely on fishes for survival will not have anything to eat and would gradually die too, vice versa. The end result of this is catastrophic and the species affected would not be just restricted to fishes. Thus, we need to start to preserve the Earth's resources and get rid of the selfish mentality of those people who fish extensively just so they could earn more profits.
Socially, the people can start by cutting down on fishing and starting social movements to raise awareness on saving the environment. A very good example of this is the campaign that has gathered momentum in the wake of the screening of the film "The Age of Stupid", by "McLibel" director Franny Armstrong, starring Oscar-nominated Pete Postlethwaite as survivor in 2055 Earth gathering footage from 2008 to broadcast into space and warn other species that may follow our example, by asking why humanity did nothing to prevent disastrous climate change while it could. Politically, governments can also take the lead by implementing various schemes to prevent companies especially from extensive fishing and working more closely with organizations such as GreenPeace and EEA for the benefit of the Earth.
In conclusion, the Earth is where we live, work and play in. Earth gave us everything we had in the form of the things we eat right down to the things we wear. Therefore, it is vital for us to save the environment and Mother Earth for a better future for our future generations. So starting from 5th June (environmental day), let's start to protect the environment and not let the Earth's resources run out in our generation.
WEI JIE
The reason i feel this way is because in this realistic world we live in today, people only care about themselves and how to earn more money. In the case of this article, they know that if they fish more, they can sell and earn more profits for themselves in the process. But in the process of doing this, they do not know that they are taking away part of the Earth's "resources" in the form of the fishes, for their own gain. Some of them might argue that if no one is stopping this extensive amount of fishing, why should they? But if they do not even take the initiative to stop this, who will? In addition, most people do not know that oceans make up 71% of the Earth's surfaces. If they are fishless by 40 years, it would also mean statistically, there is a possibility that 71% of the food sources might be gone from the Earth too. And it doesn't just stop there, because this would lead to a chain reaction whereby the animals which rely on fishes for survival will not have anything to eat and would gradually die too, vice versa. The end result of this is catastrophic and the species affected would not be just restricted to fishes. Thus, we need to start to preserve the Earth's resources and get rid of the selfish mentality of those people who fish extensively just so they could earn more profits.
Socially, the people can start by cutting down on fishing and starting social movements to raise awareness on saving the environment. A very good example of this is the campaign that has gathered momentum in the wake of the screening of the film "The Age of Stupid", by "McLibel" director Franny Armstrong, starring Oscar-nominated Pete Postlethwaite as survivor in 2055 Earth gathering footage from 2008 to broadcast into space and warn other species that may follow our example, by asking why humanity did nothing to prevent disastrous climate change while it could. Politically, governments can also take the lead by implementing various schemes to prevent companies especially from extensive fishing and working more closely with organizations such as GreenPeace and EEA for the benefit of the Earth.
In conclusion, the Earth is where we live, work and play in. Earth gave us everything we had in the form of the things we eat right down to the things we wear. Therefore, it is vital for us to save the environment and Mother Earth for a better future for our future generations. So starting from 5th June (environmental day), let's start to protect the environment and not let the Earth's resources run out in our generation.
WEI JIE
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Views on Plagiarism
Plagiarism is going to be a serious problem if its not addressed . When a work is plagiarised , the credit is taken away from the author while the person who plagiarises is given credit for a piece of work not done by himself .
Plagiarising is most often commited by students as they want to complete their assignments with the least effort and in the least time . They would look up the net for info and copy entirely . This is very unfair to the author as they wreck their brains and their work gets copied by others without putting in any effort .
To stop plagiarising , we have let the students know the importance and consequences of plagiarising from a young age . When kids are younger , they tend to listen to what they are told . By informing them about the importance and consequences of plagiarising , they would understand why they should not plagiarise and come out with their own work . Plagiarising may result in drop of grades , suspension or even expulsion . These consequences may deter the students from plagiarising the works of others and come up with their own work with their own effort .
Plagiarising is most often commited by students as they want to complete their assignments with the least effort and in the least time . They would look up the net for info and copy entirely . This is very unfair to the author as they wreck their brains and their work gets copied by others without putting in any effort .
To stop plagiarising , we have let the students know the importance and consequences of plagiarising from a young age . When kids are younger , they tend to listen to what they are told . By informing them about the importance and consequences of plagiarising , they would understand why they should not plagiarise and come out with their own work . Plagiarising may result in drop of grades , suspension or even expulsion . These consequences may deter the students from plagiarising the works of others and come up with their own work with their own effort .
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)