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--
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
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.
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.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
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.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
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.
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.
Sunday, June 6, 2010
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
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
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