prezi :)

Enjoy!

hyperjuliet on Prezi

this is for mp3, but I thought it'd be nice to just share it :D

MP3 on Prezi

Bhopal Incident 1984

http://calcuttatube.com/bhopal-panel-meets-for-third-day-discusses-environmental-issues/100292/

I just happened to be reading the recent environmental news, and spotted the newest updates on the Bhopal Incident. I did a project on the Bhopal Incident a few months ago and so I find it absolutely stunning that they are still discussing the same things they should have settled 25 years ago. If you do not know what happened during the Bhopal Gas Tragedy, you might want to look at this video to have a good summary.





Basically, the Bhopal Gas tragedy is the world's worst industrial tragedy till date. It happened on December 2-3, 1984 at the Union Carbide India Limited (UCIL) pesticide plant in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India. A leak of methyl isocyanate (MIC) gas and other toxins from the plant, resulting in the exposure of over 500,000 people. The official death toll is uncertain because the government ofMadhya Pradesh confirmed a total of 3,787 deaths while other government agencies estimated 15,000 deaths.

The toxic gases from the factory flooded the city of Bhopal when people were deep in their sleep. Many woke up with a burning sensation in their lungs, coughing, vomiting, severe eye irritation and a feeling of suffocation. Some were blinded permanently.

Since 1984, the government has tried to improve the living conditions in Bhopal, but with minimal success. The amount of compensation offered to the living by the government is drastically insufficient, considering the permanent damages people suffered. There's a huge fingerpointing game thereafter, where some still demand Dow Chemical, which took over Union Carbide to compensate the surviving victims.

What I am surprised with right now is the speed of how things are settled. After 25 years, the group of ministers are still talking about the amount of additional compensation they should provide to the families of victims, or the survivors. Even now, they are considering the legal implications should the government decide to reopen the case against Union Carbide and provide healthcare to the victims. I feel that although there is a huge controversy on who was at fault for the Bhopal Incident, we still cannot deny Union Carbide's responsibility in handling the disaster.

The disaster was so huge, even till today, the effects are evident in the soil that the people plant their crops in, in the sea where people find food in. Such disasters should not be taken lightly, and the effects should never be allowed to be dragged on because people's lives, future generation's lives are at stake.

I understand that India is still a developing nation, and the very fact that it does not have much bargaining power when dealing with major multinational companies means that it will face lots of difficulty when demanding compensation for the victims. However, having said that, I feel that it is the government's job to do the best it can to protect its people. Hence the ministers need to seriously do justice for its people.


-- I decided not to post any photographs because it might make people feel uneasy--

cool technology!

I was randomly looking through some articles on Tree Hugger and chanced upon this invention which could save many lives. Albeit not a new invention, I think it's ingenius!

Please view the following video to check out how it works! :D

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2010/06/watercone-clean-drinking-water-for-developing-countries.php



I have been to a few developing nations, and witnessed the problem of the lack of clean water for consumption. The need for clean water for consumption is so important because many people, especially children, are susceptible to diseases present in water.

Some benefits of this watercone:
- It's inexpensive to produce
- Simple to operate, does not require any technical knowledge
- Inexpensive to maintain (practically no maintenance fees)
- Can be re-used, and does not need replacement

How wonderful is that? I wish I had the money to produce this for the kids I've seen in Cambodia. We raised money to buy clean mineral water for our 2 weeks stay in an orphanage in Cambodia previously, but the kids there generally drank from the wells because they can't afford to feed so many children with clean water. If there could be a sustainable method to provide this device for the children in the orphanage, I think that would be a great way to make sure they stay healthy, and can grow up away from contaminated water sources.

Indonesia

A powerful 7.1-magnitude earthquake hit Manokawari, Indonesia, kiiling at least two people and damaged scores of homes in eastern Indonesia on Wednesday, triggering a tsunami warning and widespread panic.

The victims were believed to have been crushed under their collapsed homes on Yapen island, close to the epicentre off the northern coast of Papua province, police said.

I suppose many of us are aware of the huge tsunami which hit the Southeast Asia region. Major death tolls in Bali might have made an impact to the holiday decisions of many tourists. One of the main reasons why Indonesia is so prone to earthquakes is because it is placed in the ring of fire - a ring of many active volcanoes in Indonesia. There are about 120 volcanoes in Indonesia which are active. These earthquakes in Indonesia have affected its economy in a major way.

Indonesia is still a developing country and is still in need of constant foreign economic assistance due to these natural calamities. Many people live below the poverty line. Singapore, being a neighbour country of Indonesia, offers many forms of aid to Indonesia all year round. Everytime there is a calamity, the Singapore Armed Forces might send in troops to maintain order, or to provide medical assistance to the people.

Sometimes I just wonder why with all these advancements in technology, why is an earthquake still undetectable until when it's too late? With all these connectivity in the world, why are we still lagging behind in terms of saving lives. As I am twitting on twitter now, I'm just wondering wouldn't it be so nice if all the energy and resources put into creating such forms of entertainment for people were to be channeled into making more useful stuff like natural disaster detection devices.

Voicethread reflections

Voicethread is basically a multimedia platform for people to share slideshows, videos and pictures containing ideas and thoughts. It allows users to say their thoughts out loud, doodle on their work which gives the entire presentation more dynamics. Audiences are given ample opportunities and methods to leave comments, eg. type it out or do it via webcam.

I brainstormed a few topics for my voicethread and came to decide upon talking about Bluefin Tuna because I wanted to talk about something academic (which was the criteria of the project). Initially I was wondering if it would generate sufficient response because my classmates might not be familiar with the topic. However, I decided to go for it in the end because I feel that this topic was worth mentioning. Following which, I did up some slides on powerpoint and converted it to pdf format for easy uploading to Voicethread. I wanted to try out how we could record our voices into a presentation because I thought that was really cool, and so I borrowed a microphone from my friend to give it a go! I think it turned out better than expected, and I like that function on voicethread.

The level of discussion that went on for most of the projects in the class was good. Many projects received many comments, especially the topic on global warming because it was a topic which many people had some knowledge about, and could share ideas upon. My project paled in comparison to that, but there were some constructive comments and discussion posted by some classmates, which helped others gain more knowledge.

Voicethread would succeed as a communication tool because of the diverse opportunities it gives audiences to respond to the contents posted. Not only that, it gives audiences the chance to comment on other audience's opinions, which makes interaction more fun. Furthermore, with just an email address, anyone can post their ideas on the platform. This convenience gives a lot of room for creativity and expression of opinion.

As for using Voicethread as an educational tool, I'm a little skeptical because looking at some of the comments posted on the projects, I find it difficult to regulate their quality. Random comments which present no depth of thought can be found, which might lead to negative learning. Thus it might pale in comparison to other forms of sharing knowledge which might have gone through more levels of thought. Having said that, it is still possible for Voicethread to be an effective educational tool once there is a more mature audience, and when the people sharing the information are more familiar with the tool and the objectives of creating the materials for sharing.

Mt Everest will never be the same...

Sherpa mountaineers in Nepal say a rise in the rate of snow and ice melt on Mount Everest has exposed bare rock faces and made it dangerous to climb. The equipments like crampons tend to slip when there's a lack of snow and ice, making it dangerous to climb. Especially at heights above 8000m, it becomes extremely dangerous.

The cost of climbing Mt Everest will also increase with the increased possibility of fatalities. Sherpas would need to be more skillful, and mountaineers who intend to summit Mt Everest would need to have more experienced than before, and be equipped with more technical skills.

As a trekker I feel sad that a beautiful mountain like Mt Everest is melting because of global warming, and that future trekkers might not have a chance to summit her because of trecherous conditions. Somehow I feel that the sherpas are the ones who are going to feel the most pain. Not just because their livelihood is dependent on Mt Everest, but also because they view Mt Everest as a sacred mountain. To have ice melting at an increased pace might signal a possibility that in the near future, much of Mt Everest might be gone and melted away. To them, losing this symbol, this sacred mountain is worse than losing their livelihood.

Previously, I've spoken to the Singapore Women's Everest Team after they successfully summited Mt Everest. The sense of achievement they feel is just beyond words. If Mt Everest were to become too dangerous for climbing in the future, I think it'll be a great waste to many hiking enthusiasts.

However, there's nothing much we can do to help. Albeit it's within our power to do the best we can by saving energy and reducing consumption. But at the same time, I can't help but feel that whatever we're doing now is so insignificant to reverse the situation. Something drastic has to occur to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere to ensure a balance in the system to prevent further melting of snow.


http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/south_asia/10201279.stm

LED lights in my neighbourhood!

I was randomly looking through Singapore news and noticed that LED lights will be installed in the flats in my neighbourhood! LED lights stand for light emitting diode. This type of lights are very energy saving and can help reduce the electrical bills incurred by my estate. Although there will not be a dip in the electrical bills my parents have to pay, I think that the government is finally moving in the correct direction to save the Earth.

I have been taught the benefits of using LED compared to normal fluorescent lights since elementary school. However, I never understood why Singapore didn't use much of LED lights. I suppose the cost of having to change all the lights in the neighbourhood seems too high for the government. But just imagine the amount of energy they could have saved if they implemented this long ago.

Nevertheless, I praise the government for putting in efforts. Hopefully, one day Singapore would not only be known for its modernity and cultural diversity. It will be known for being the world leader in energy saving.

Please refer to the following link to find out more:
http://news.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne%2BNews/Singapore/Story/A1Story20100526-218497.html
http://home-electrical.suite101.com/article.cfm/the_benefits_of_led_lighting

Giant Bluefin Tuna

Previously I was reading an article on Treehugger that Japan has ignored the ban on Bluefin Tuna, and they remarked that the fish is not that endangered.

Japan eats approximately 80% of the world's bluefin tuna, and contribute as the biggest consumer for this fish. The bluefin tuna can be found in the Mediterranean and Atlantic waters. However, it is currently being fished to extinction because of massive and high-tech commercial fishing fleet and illegal fishing.

There have been numerous calls for the ban on the fishing of bluefin tuna to allow their numbers to recover. Such extensive unsustainable methods of fishing is not going to benefit Japan, nor the rest of the world.

Japan is adamant about not participating in any agreement to ban international trade of bluefin tuna under the United Nations treaty on endangered species. This is because, majority of the Japanese population love this fish, and any restriction on its consumption is going to hurt them.

According to scientists, if the current method of fishing continues, coupled with the seemingly unwavered demand, it is estimated that the population of bluefin tuna will be totally extinct within the next 3 years. Japanese have tried to seek other solutions. A collaboration between Japan's Kinki University and Australia's Clear Seas Tuna Ltd have tried to breed bluefin tuna in captivity. This method albeit new, is a possible way of reducing the impact. However, more research still needs to be done.

With such a forecast, it is bewildering why the Japanese fisheries negotiators are not concerned, or willing to make any compromise to acknowledge the situation. While I can understand their reasons for not participating in the total banning of the trade of bluefin tuna, what I would expect to see from such a mature nation is active support to maintain the population of bluefin tuna to ensure sustainability. Perhaps there could be greater support from the general population through wider food selection and reduced reliance on just eating bluefin tuna. With reduced demand, the supply would naturally drop, thereby giving the Japanese more number of years to enjoy the freshness of such delicacy. Otherwise, their future generations are not going to be able to savour such traditional Japanese culture.




Possible references:
www.treehugger.com
www.washingtonpost.com
http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/footprint/smart_fishing/sustainable_fisheries/bluefin_tuna/

Iceland volcanoes

Previously, the eruption of Eyjafjallajokull in Iceland created a huge ash cloud which disrupted air traffic throughout Europe. This resulted in millions of dollars of loss when aircrafts were grounded in numerous countries like Italy, Spain, Portugal, France, Germany, Switzerland, the Irish Republic and Croatia.

According to scientists, the volcano eruption appears to be part of a huge buildup of volcanic eruptions in the region for the next few decades. Scientists have constructed a timeline of 205 eruptions in Iceland, spanning the past 1,100 years and found that they occurred in regular intervals. The quiet phase for the past 5 years is coming to an end, marking the start of more volcano eruptions in Iceland for the coming years. There is evidence that the cycle is coming to a peak.

Other geologists have warned of more volcano eruptions from four other volcanoes in Iceland. They are Grimsvotn, Hekla, Askja and Katla. All of them are bigger than Eyjafjallaokull. Katla lies 15 miles east of Eyjafjallaokull. And there is evidence to support that it is near failure (close to eruption). The other volcanoes are also nearing eruption because the snow has been rising on them, suggesting magma movement below.

According to Thor Thordarson, a volcanologist from Edinburg University, the behaviour of the volcanoes is linked to movements in the earth's crust which creates massive subterranean stresses over wide areas.

For Iceland and other countries in Europe, it is probably the best time to step up monitoring of the volcanic activities because the possible amount of loss incurred from another volcano eruption is going to far exceed the costs it takes to monitor the volcanic activity and further research.

Dr Richard Waller, senior lecturer in physical geography at Keele University believes that should Katla erupt, the problem for Iceland would not just be ash clouds. Massive flooding could occur because the crater is filled with ice, more than 2,000ft thick, which will all melt when it erupts.

My take on this entire article is that so many volcanologist and geographical experts have given their take on such matters worldwide. But when will governments and people really begin to start listening to the experts and heed their advice?

As I learnt in Taxation, we should always try to minimize cost now. Money outflow later is always better than later because cashflow is so important to any company, and the board has to appease the shareholders. If the shareholders are unhappy, then the company is not going to do well. A country, is somewhat similar to a company. If the government decided to pour in a huge amount of resources to tackle the problem of volcanic activities, are the citizens happy that the money is being spent in this manner? The citizens are probably going to be happier if the government can utilize the same amount of resources to generate better economic results, compared to researching on volcanic activity.

However, I feel that the above would be more true when there are no threats from the volcanoes in Iceland. Now that the threat is probably imminent, it would probably be the only time that the government and people would start listening to the warnings of scientists, and start taking ownership of the problem.

Having said that, it is such a shame that people would only start listening when a problem exists. Instead we always learnt that we should try to ward off any problem before it occurs.

since i'm watching avatar

hi guys, I will be watching the movie avatar for the third time tonight, and I thought it'd be cool to view the below video from Youtube. It's about the real avatars on Earth.

That set me thinking about our environment.

Tornado hit Mississippi

A tornado hit Mississippi on 25th April, killing at least 10 people, including children.

Many houses were blown off, leaving debris and torn homes everywhere. Nearby states of Louisiana, Arkansas and Alabama were also hit by the tornadoes. The tornado blew through the centre of Mississippi and blew down roads. Meteorologists estimated wind speeds at 150 miles per hour, which is approximately 240kph. The tornado brought heavy rain to many areas, and flooded some low lying regions.

Looking at this article reminded me of Hurricane Katrina a few years back, but the degree of destruction is much milder compared to the latter. Disasters are always etched deeply in our minds, and it's hard to forget the amount of emotional and economical damage it has done to many lives and families.


However, the main focus I wish to bring forth is the first sentence I saw on the introduction of the article. Almost all disasters would mention the death of children, or the number of children affected by the natural disaster. In my previous article, I wrote about the earthquake in China. It also made specific reference to an elementary school destroyed in the quake.

That set me wondering about the society we live in today. Do we need additional sensationalizing of the disasters to bring about greater sympathy? It is true that many people generally have a soft spot for children, therefore mentioning them in the articles would most probably create more readership and evoke more emotions among readers. So the question is whether resorting to such methods is ethical. It might not be utterly wrong, because there are children hurt in the disaster, but how badly hurt are the children? If the article makes it sound as if the children are dead, but in fact they are not, then is the editor still being ethical to mention children in order to create the drama and ensure people pay attention to their writing?

But well, in this article, there are several casualties. I may not know the true number of adults and children injured or killed. Perhaps the number is not that important afterall because a life, no matter how old or young, is precious. Any number written on the article will not wipe away the pain, or suffering the people on the ground are facing. However, I feel that there could be less appeal to the emotions, and perhaps more sticking to the facts.

Earthquake

Environmental issues is a fairly hot topic recently, so I've decided to touch on it for the next few entries for this hypermedia course.

A strong earthquake hit Yushu, China on Wednesday morning. This region, which is near the Tibet border is very susceptible to siesmic movements. The 6.9 magnitude earthquake killed 400 people and injured thousands, of which many were buried alive. Approximately 20 children from an elementary school was reported buried in rubble. Rescue teams are on their way, but most have difficulty reaching the injured because of damaged infrastructure. The series of after shocks are said to cause more destruction and impede soldiers' ability to reach the wounded.

As I was reading the article, I was wondering how many others outside China would seriously reach out to the victims upon viewing this piece of news.

Natural disasters used to be rare, and whenever anything major happened, there would be extensive news coverage. However, in recent years, the rising number of major natural disasters seems to have desensitized the impact on people. People appear to be less concerned or non-chalent, unless the disaster is happening right at their doorstep.

On the other hand, we could argue that there are still many efforts worldwide to support disaster victims. A good example would be the recent Haiti earthquake where donations from all over the world poured into this poverty striken nation. However, the massive help garnered could be due to extensive media coverage. Then the next question would be, how long will the donations sustain the people of Haiti? What would happen after the funds are depleted? Is the world still so kind to continue supporting Haiti?

Taking my attention back to the earthquake in China, I was initially shocked that a major earthquake has struck a poor region again, where houses are mainly made of wood and earthen walls. However, a few seconds into reading the article, I thought to myself, "This is another earthquake." This makes me wonder what would happen to our world if more people were to take my viewpoint. Would this world become a place where there's no room for sympathy? Or is this just an effect due to the never ending number of natural disasters that are happening around us, which "normalizes" every other disaster?

thinking of what to write

hmm.. i have no idea what i should blog about.