Friday, July 8, 2011
How has learning about newsworthiness and types of news articles (straight news articles and feature articles in different sections of the newspaper)
I am always reading the feature article part. Feature articles seem more interesting as they have something like a short story in the front part which gets my attention and gets me hooked onto the story. There is always a reason for the extra mini story in the first paragraph of the article. This also means the article is very newsworthy and the firm wants more readers to read it. However, straight news articles can also be quite boring sometimes when they talk and emphasise so much on the boring stuff like finance and other stocks stuff. And that is why I enjoy feature articles better. I remember a article that was very interesting was the one from Times, the one about Tiger Mum. This article shows me how children learn in China and how come they are so hardworking and et cetra. I really enjoy feature articles nowadays.
Is it right for the justice system to pursue criminal charges several decades after the crime is said to have occurred?
Yes, I think that it is still right to pursue someone's crime even though that it has been committed a few decades ago. One must always pay the price for one's wrongdoing no matter how long has it been. Imagine you are the victim. Your son has been kidnapped by a kidnapper syndicate and they had amputated his limbs and position him somewhere in the world to act as a beggar to beg for a living. Finally after 15 years, you see your son again in Thailand and also managed to find the syndicate. Of course, you will be hating the syndicate for what they have done to your child and the separation between a parent and a child. You will also want them to be punished for their crime-doings as wells as the misery they have brought to other kids and parents. Now, after this small"simulation, you will realise that crime-doers will always have to be punished all else the world will be unfair and they will never learn. Time should never be part of the consideration as justice needs to be served.
À la carte
À la carte is a common word or phrase that everyone hears when they order food or whatever in a restaurant or even in hawker centres nowadays. Well, it means a reference to a menu of items priced and ordered separately. It also means to designate an option to choose, at no extra charge, a side dish to accompany a main course item. The origins of the phrase is actually quite simple. The phrase was adopted into English in 1826, predating by a decade the common use of the French language loanword "menu". However the actual meaning of À la carte in French is actually "according to the menu". Now, we all know that À la carte is kind of weird as how does "according to the menu" got changed to the meanings above.
Water for Singapore
Water for Singapore
By: Samuel Tan 2i217
Singapore: Two young tanned canoeists paddled across the clear waters of the new Marina Barrage. They were just one of the few people that had started to reap the benefits of the Marina Barrage. The Marina Barrage, the 15th reservoir of Singapore that was opened in the recent years, has three functions, mainly water supply, flood control and lifestyle recreation. Other than the Marina Barrage, Singapore also has many other ways of getting fresh water. The other ways are desalination, NEWater, stormwater management and the buying of fresh water from other countries.
Although Singapore may be a small country, but the amount of water it uses is a lot compared to other bigger countries. Singapore’s current per capita domestic water consumption is about 154 litres per day, compared to India which only used 135 litres per day. This may not seem like a large problem to most people as it does not seem important. Think it this way, Singaporeans do not have to think about running out of water when they turn on the tap or drink a glass of water. Singaporeans are getting too complacent with what they have, ignoring the droughts in other country as they struggled to get enough water for everyone in the country.
Singapore gets its water from the water from local catchment, imported water from Johor, desalinated water from the sea and recycled water from NEWater. However, the imported water from Johor may be cut off in the future in 2061 when the contract ends. Although the government promises Singapore that they will be able to provide water for the whole nation by then, it is still not cost efficient.
To use local catchment to get water may take up too much space, according to projections from government that reservoirs and catchment areas will take up 50% of the island in the future. It will be a challenge to balance the socio-economic development and water sustainable development.
Desalination is also not a good method. To desalinate the sea water, that will require a lot of fuels to heat up the water in order to remove the salt. As we all know that the price of fuel is not cheap, the amount of money spent to desalinate is not little. Other than it not being cost efficient, it is also not environmentally friendly. It uses up so much energy but it is only capable of meeting 10% of Singapore’s water need with a production capacity of 136 million litres daily.
NEWater may save us a lot of water because of the unique system of recycling water to produce fresh drinkable water. However, the process is not simple as the “used” water has to go thorough microfiltration, reverse osmosis and UV rays in order to come out as fresh drinkable water. The problem is that the cost of the whole system is not cheap.
Design water treatment capacity
Unit cost
US$ / ( /d)
3785 614
7570 539
11355 500
15140 474
18925 455
22710 440
26495 427
30280 417
34065 408
37850 400
Self-made table with info from http://www.costwater.com/membranes.htm
From the above table, we can see that the membranes are not cheap and the constant maintenance will take up a lot of money that could have been used to invest in other sectors of the economy.
Pollution also has to be tackled. We would not want our water catchment areas to contain contaminated water. As the government has projected that half of the island will be water catchment areas and reservoirs, we must ensure that the industrial waste must not contaminate the waters.
As Singapore has limited amount of water, we must ensure that all the water pipes and systems are not leaking and well-maintained. These are to ensure no water is wasted. The government should also close the water loop of Singapore. In order to conserve the water that we have, we should not discharge used treated water to the sea. The water should be treated again to save the water. When you discharge the water back to the sea, the water will turn salty and it needs to undergo desalination again in order to be drinkable again.
The most important solution is to save water and minimize our usage. When we do not use much water, there will be no need to build a lot of catchment areas and facilities. This will help save a lot of money. Water for Singapore will turn better.
By: Samuel Tan 2i217
Singapore: Two young tanned canoeists paddled across the clear waters of the new Marina Barrage. They were just one of the few people that had started to reap the benefits of the Marina Barrage. The Marina Barrage, the 15th reservoir of Singapore that was opened in the recent years, has three functions, mainly water supply, flood control and lifestyle recreation. Other than the Marina Barrage, Singapore also has many other ways of getting fresh water. The other ways are desalination, NEWater, stormwater management and the buying of fresh water from other countries.
Although Singapore may be a small country, but the amount of water it uses is a lot compared to other bigger countries. Singapore’s current per capita domestic water consumption is about 154 litres per day, compared to India which only used 135 litres per day. This may not seem like a large problem to most people as it does not seem important. Think it this way, Singaporeans do not have to think about running out of water when they turn on the tap or drink a glass of water. Singaporeans are getting too complacent with what they have, ignoring the droughts in other country as they struggled to get enough water for everyone in the country.
Singapore gets its water from the water from local catchment, imported water from Johor, desalinated water from the sea and recycled water from NEWater. However, the imported water from Johor may be cut off in the future in 2061 when the contract ends. Although the government promises Singapore that they will be able to provide water for the whole nation by then, it is still not cost efficient.
To use local catchment to get water may take up too much space, according to projections from government that reservoirs and catchment areas will take up 50% of the island in the future. It will be a challenge to balance the socio-economic development and water sustainable development.
Desalination is also not a good method. To desalinate the sea water, that will require a lot of fuels to heat up the water in order to remove the salt. As we all know that the price of fuel is not cheap, the amount of money spent to desalinate is not little. Other than it not being cost efficient, it is also not environmentally friendly. It uses up so much energy but it is only capable of meeting 10% of Singapore’s water need with a production capacity of 136 million litres daily.
NEWater may save us a lot of water because of the unique system of recycling water to produce fresh drinkable water. However, the process is not simple as the “used” water has to go thorough microfiltration, reverse osmosis and UV rays in order to come out as fresh drinkable water. The problem is that the cost of the whole system is not cheap.
Design water treatment capacity
Unit cost
US$ / ( /d)
3785 614
7570 539
11355 500
15140 474
18925 455
22710 440
26495 427
30280 417
34065 408
37850 400
Self-made table with info from http://www.costwater.com/membranes.htm
From the above table, we can see that the membranes are not cheap and the constant maintenance will take up a lot of money that could have been used to invest in other sectors of the economy.
Pollution also has to be tackled. We would not want our water catchment areas to contain contaminated water. As the government has projected that half of the island will be water catchment areas and reservoirs, we must ensure that the industrial waste must not contaminate the waters.
As Singapore has limited amount of water, we must ensure that all the water pipes and systems are not leaking and well-maintained. These are to ensure no water is wasted. The government should also close the water loop of Singapore. In order to conserve the water that we have, we should not discharge used treated water to the sea. The water should be treated again to save the water. When you discharge the water back to the sea, the water will turn salty and it needs to undergo desalination again in order to be drinkable again.
The most important solution is to save water and minimize our usage. When we do not use much water, there will be no need to build a lot of catchment areas and facilities. This will help save a lot of money. Water for Singapore will turn better.
Antisemism
Antisemism- A Current Problem Today
By: Samuel Tan
Barak Abravanel, a young Jew was cowering in an alley, surrounded by many tall young muslim adults. He had been chased for two days after his identity of being a Jew was revealed. Fortunately, a Times magazine reporter walked past and scared the muslims away.
Jews have been despised by people since ancient times. Anti-Jewish strikes and riots and persecution were a part of European societies, and were far from unknown in Muslim lands (as early as the Khaibar massacre of 628 AD). Many people feel that after the Holocaust, there is no more discrimination of the Jews. However, they are wrong.
Currently, in many parts of the world today, antisemitism is part of everyday life. The People are prejudice against or hostile towards Jews because of hatred of their ethnic background, culture, and/or religion. Records of antisemitic fights are recorded each month by monitoring groups, ranging from armed and other attacks on individuals and property attacks to the cemeteries and Holocaust memorials and the graffiti of antisemitic slogans on buildings, often those housing Jewish communities and churches. This shows that the prejudice against the Jews lives on even after the Holocaust.
The UN human rights commission formally disapproved antisemitism in a 1994 resolution (in the face of some bitter opposition, led by Syria), formally charging its special rapporteur(a person responsible for compiling reports and presenting them, as to a governing body.) on latest and new forms of racism with the responsibility of examining and reporting on antisemitic incidents worldwide.
Holocaust Denial
The Holocaust was genocide of approximately six million European Jews during World War II. The Holocaust denial movement today unites the racist groups with various Middle East groupings, media and even governments in their public campaigns against the Jewish people and Israel. Its aim is to present the holocaust as a lie, which only the Jews could invent, thereby shifting the blame and shame from perpetrator to victim. In recent Middle East media and propaganda, the Jews are refered as Nazis. Primo Levi recorded in the final work on his death camp experience, before his suicide, how SS storm troopers taunted the inmates: "However this war may end, we have won the war against you: none of you will be left to bear witness...because we will destroy the evidence together with you."
Despite the efforts of racists continuing to seek to "destroy the evidence" in the public mind, the Holocaust is overwhelmingly documented and recorded in contemporary history, and those people who deny about the Holocaust are scorned at, as illustrated in the verdict of the London crown court against holocaust denier, David Irving, last year.
The battle against antisemism is never over. However, the world is changing and people are getting more open-minded. Hopefully, there will be less people prejudiced against the Jews.
By: Samuel Tan
Barak Abravanel, a young Jew was cowering in an alley, surrounded by many tall young muslim adults. He had been chased for two days after his identity of being a Jew was revealed. Fortunately, a Times magazine reporter walked past and scared the muslims away.
Jews have been despised by people since ancient times. Anti-Jewish strikes and riots and persecution were a part of European societies, and were far from unknown in Muslim lands (as early as the Khaibar massacre of 628 AD). Many people feel that after the Holocaust, there is no more discrimination of the Jews. However, they are wrong.
Currently, in many parts of the world today, antisemitism is part of everyday life. The People are prejudice against or hostile towards Jews because of hatred of their ethnic background, culture, and/or religion. Records of antisemitic fights are recorded each month by monitoring groups, ranging from armed and other attacks on individuals and property attacks to the cemeteries and Holocaust memorials and the graffiti of antisemitic slogans on buildings, often those housing Jewish communities and churches. This shows that the prejudice against the Jews lives on even after the Holocaust.
The UN human rights commission formally disapproved antisemitism in a 1994 resolution (in the face of some bitter opposition, led by Syria), formally charging its special rapporteur(a person responsible for compiling reports and presenting them, as to a governing body.) on latest and new forms of racism with the responsibility of examining and reporting on antisemitic incidents worldwide.
Holocaust Denial
The Holocaust was genocide of approximately six million European Jews during World War II. The Holocaust denial movement today unites the racist groups with various Middle East groupings, media and even governments in their public campaigns against the Jewish people and Israel. Its aim is to present the holocaust as a lie, which only the Jews could invent, thereby shifting the blame and shame from perpetrator to victim. In recent Middle East media and propaganda, the Jews are refered as Nazis. Primo Levi recorded in the final work on his death camp experience, before his suicide, how SS storm troopers taunted the inmates: "However this war may end, we have won the war against you: none of you will be left to bear witness...because we will destroy the evidence together with you."
Despite the efforts of racists continuing to seek to "destroy the evidence" in the public mind, the Holocaust is overwhelmingly documented and recorded in contemporary history, and those people who deny about the Holocaust are scorned at, as illustrated in the verdict of the London crown court against holocaust denier, David Irving, last year.
The battle against antisemism is never over. However, the world is changing and people are getting more open-minded. Hopefully, there will be less people prejudiced against the Jews.
Now that you understand how the English Language evolved, share with us some words into which you have gained new insights
The word that I have chose is facade or façade. The word Facade has a French origin, which means it was one of the many words that were transmitted to English via the Anglo-Norman language spoken by the upper classes in England in the centuries following the Norman Conquest. The word generally means that
1.(architecture) The face of a building, especially the front view or elevation.
2.(by extension) The face or front (most visible side) of any other thing, such as an organ.
3.(figuratively) A deceptive outward appearance; a front.
The word was originally from 1812, Antonio de Alcedo and George Alexander Thompson [tr.], The geographical and historical dictionary of America and the West Indies: containing an entire translation of the Spanish work of Colonel Don Antonio de Alcedo … with large additions and compilations from modern voyages and travels, and from original and authentic information, volume 2, page 13, “Demerara” (J. Carpenter)
The plantations are regularly laid out in lots along the sea-shore, called façades, about a quarter of a mile wide, and extending ¼ths of a mile back into the country.
1.(architecture) The face of a building, especially the front view or elevation.
2.(by extension) The face or front (most visible side) of any other thing, such as an organ.
3.(figuratively) A deceptive outward appearance; a front.
The word was originally from 1812, Antonio de Alcedo and George Alexander Thompson [tr.], The geographical and historical dictionary of America and the West Indies: containing an entire translation of the Spanish work of Colonel Don Antonio de Alcedo … with large additions and compilations from modern voyages and travels, and from original and authentic information, volume 2, page 13, “Demerara” (J. Carpenter)
The plantations are regularly laid out in lots along the sea-shore, called façades, about a quarter of a mile wide, and extending ¼ths of a mile back into the country.
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