Sunday, September 13, 2009

Picture Discussion

The campers are attempting to a low element known as 'spider-web'. The trees and tents have revealed the scene of a campsite. The boy in the foreground seems to have difficulties getting pass the small space made by the spider web. He must be feeling very nervous. His team mates are giving him support by holding on to him and ensure that he does not fall or touch the web. The girl in the background has also given in support by cheering for her team. 'Spider-web' is an activity whereby trusts is built up between team mates and it also helps to bond them together as teamwork is needed in this activity. A team consists of team mates and team mates are friends that depend on each other to achieve success when an activity is being carried out. Some activities can never be completed alone, but as a whole. Thus it brings out the phrase 'United we stand, divided we fall'. Take the chopstick story for example, a chopstick can be easily broken but a bunch of chopsticks can't. Unity is teamwork.

(182 words)

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Summary

Today, Janina Pietrasiak and Maria Lopuszanska live like sisters. They meet daily and help each other out. Both of them lives alone and are not affluent. Maria's parents were anti-Nazi underground activists who sheltered Janina and her mother. Janina's mother died of tuberculosis. Young Janina clung desperately to her new family, baptized to become part of the family to avoid being detected and killed by the Nazis. She even gave up chance to live with her uncle in the United States. During the Warsaw Uprising, the girls had to fend for themselves. Maria's father fell sick and her mother was demonstrating against the Nazis. Maria was like a mother to the younger Janina. Janina had lost both parents. Her only sibling survived the war but later committed suicide. Both Maria and Janina suffered from cancer. She contacted the Yad Washem Holocaust museum in Jerusalem to recognize Maria and her parents for saving her during WW1.
(145 words)

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

News Report - Hit-And-Run Accident on 29th July 2009

News reports today that a fatal hit-and-run accident had occurred on 29th July 2009, around peak hour, 5.30 p.m., at CTE.

26-year-old, motorcyclist, Mr. Alan Kong Ai Lang, one of the victims of the fatal accident, suffered severe injuries after being hit by a 2009 BMW M3 Convertible and was sent to Tan Tock Seng hospital for immediate treatment. He fell into a coma soon after the operation the doctors performed on him.

23-year-old, driver, Miss Jamie Sian Jie Mi, another victim of the fatal accident, was however not as fortunate, after being bumped into by the Mercedes Benz and trapped in her own car, she was rushed to Tan Tock Seng hospital as she suffered fatal injuries. She was pronounced dead due to the large impact she had when the accident occurred.

26-year-old, Miss Jane Tan, eye-witness and also a student, said, “It happened so fast!” She was also sure that she saw two cars.

36-year-old, Mdm Moliah Bte Ismail, housewife, a passenger in a taxi passing by when the accident occurred, said, “All I heard was loud big bang!” She was unsure what had caused the accident.

52-year-old, Inspector Abdul Rahman, said, “There was a stream of blood on the road.” He was shocked by what was left of the motorcycle.

When interviewed, Inspector Abdul Rahman advised drivers to drive carefully, and also not to talk on the phone when driving. Bystanders were urged to come forward with information on the license plate number of the hit-and-run car, Mercedes Benz.

The Kong family was shocked upon receiving news about their son being involved in a hit-and-run accident and was in a coma at Tan Tock Seng hospital. Mr. Kong, father of Mr. Alan Kong, said, “I believe my son is a rational motorcyclist, I will get to the bottom of this matter and clarify matters with that irrational and irresponsible driver.”

When the Sian families were noticed about Miss Jamie Sian Jie Mi’s death, they were astonished. Miss Jamie Sian Jie Mi, being the only child of the family, was loved and pampered by both her parents. Mr. Sian said, “She had just gotten her driving license and we had just bought her the 2009 BMW M3 Convertible as a birthday present, but little did we expect things to turn out like that.”



Reported by: Rhobin Lim and Vivien Wong

Friday, July 17, 2009

Report - Avalanche

Friday, July 24

WELLINGTON, New Zealand - An avalanche on New Zealand's South Island buried three skiers Friday killing one, police said. Their mountain guides rescued the other two.

The trio were buried under two to three inches of snow (six to seven centimeters) on the Ragged Range mountains near the town of Methven in South Canterbury, police constable Brent Swanson told The Associated Press.

By the time the two guides reached one of the three _ a 60-year-old man _ he was unconscious. Rescuers and a doctor at the scene were unable to resuscitate him. Police have not yet released details about the man, saying only that he was a foreign tourist.

The other two were pulled out of the snow alive and flown out by helicopter along with the rest of their tour group.

The surviving pair were in good condition and did not need medical treatment, police said.

New Zealand's Mountain Safety Council issued an avalanche alert warning earlier Friday, after warm winds triggered "dangerous avalanche conditions" along South Island's Southern Alps, it said.

The council has warned skiers, snow boarders, climbers and hikers to avoid back country travel until the avalanche danger subsides.


Above is a news report on an avalanche which occured on 24 July.

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Terrorism



Terrorism is a threat around the world, which many fear as it threatens the lives of people living in the country. Take the 911 for instance. On 11th September 2003, two planes were hijacked and crashed into the tallest buildings in the United States of America, taking the lives of many innocent people. Imagine watching your loved one, or your beloved one die before you. How would you feel?

For one, I am very particular when it comes to terrorism, as terrorism is no joke, and may occur anytime. The country which I am living in, Singapore, was one of the targeted places to be bombed after the train bombings in Madrid back in 2003. Living in Singapore, I am being exposed to the threats as well. As long as terrorists are not being wiped out, I will always live in the shadows of fear, the fear that my loved ones or even myself, might be be victims of plotted sudden-attacks by terrorists.

In my perspective, I feel that I can do my part to share the knowledge that I acquired about terrorism, and in the process, allowing more people to know what terrorism is all about and how one can do his or her part to keep Singapore safe. For example, Mass Rapid Transit ( MRT ) in Singapore, has put up an advertisement showing how commuters can report to the staffs in charge when there's a bag left in the train by suspicious articles. Alternatively, commuters can call 999 as well.

Do your part to keep Singapore a safe country, a terrorist-free country, just like I will do my part.

(270 words)

Sunday, April 5, 2009

Reflective Summary



My conclusion is, the polar bear and penguin population are currently facing the problem of the decreasing in their own population.

We humans, are one of the main culprits. We may think that what we do in our daily lives does not affect those cute and innocent animals out there, but we are wrong. Global warming, being a threat not only to us humans but also the animals. The littlest things we do in our daily lives contributes to global warming. Not only us, but the penguins and polar bears are threatened by global warming. Global warming threatens rising sea levels along the coasts which may result in floods or natural disasters.
We can play our part by doing the following. (Please refer to Reflective Journal 3)
Climate change could also bring harm to the polar bears and penguins.
In the Arctic, hungry polar bears, unable to sustain themselves on the melting ice, are increasingly making their way inland to such towns as Noorvik, Alaska, and Churchill, Manitoba, where they sniff out garbage bins and scavenge for dinner. And in the Antarctic, wet baby penguin chicks shiver in the rain; warming temperatures mean less snow but more rain, which soaks them through, putting them at risk of freezing to death. These are the consequences of climate change, scientists say.
Polar bears and penguins may live poles apart, with the great white mammals ruling the Arctic areas near the North Pole and the best-known penguin varieties inhabiting the southernmost regions of the globe, in or near Antarctica. But they both depend on ice and cold for survival—a problem in a world that's warming and where temperature increases are most pronounced at the planet's northern and southern extremes.
Even the littlest things we do can help to play a part in conserving these animals, why not do somthing rather than nothing.
Cheers!

Reflective Journal 5

Imagine yourself as a killer whale. You are swimming around when you decide to stick your head out of the water to take a breath. As you are taking a breath, you see a large stream of thick black oil heading your way. You go back under water only to find other animals dying one by one because the oil is damaging their bodies.
This is the way some animals must die in the ocean. They die because of an oil spill occurring in their habitat.

Oil spills happen when people make mistakes or are careless and cause an oil tanker to leak oil into the ocean. There are a few more ways an oil spill can occur. Equipment breaking down may cause an oil spill. If the equipment breaks down, the tanker may get stuck on shallow land. When they start to drive the tanker again, they can put a hole in the tanker causing it to leak oil.

What You Can Do To Reduce Oil Spill:
It may seem like you cannot do anything to stop oil spills. But you can. If you see an oil spill, report it to the government as soon as possible. Less oil is used when people conserve energy by driving smaller cars, using public transportation or alternatively-fueled vehicles or other ways of travel, like walking and bicycling. Instead of dumping used car oil on the ground or down a sewer, people can take the oil to certain service stations to be disposed of properly or recycled. If you change you own oil in you car, make sure you place a container on the ground under the engine to catch any spills. An old cookie sheet works well. Also, people can conserve energy in their homes, too.
If everyone used less oil, fewer tankers would sail the seas. This could reduce the risk of oil spills.