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March 26, 2008
February 07, 2008
Gong Xi Fa Cai!
Over the New Year holiday in China, millions of people will travel from work to home or to visit relatives. All over the world, Chinese communities will be celebrating. From Bangkok to San Francisco, Taipei to Washington D.C, firecrackers, incense, lion dancers and the colour red will paint the traditional ushering of the New Year.
We give you the perpective of a photojournalist, as we delve into the Chinese New Year.
January 29, 2008
Farewell to Man of Steel
Many would remember Indonesia's former president, Mr. Suharto, as the autocratic leader who dominated Indonesia for 32 years ruling the nation with iron fists.
January 08, 2008
True to The Book
When a much-loved book becomes a screen adaptation, fans of the book rightfully worry that the movie will fail to capture what delighted them about the story.
January 02, 2008
For the Love of All Things Singaporean
Are you a frequent theatre goer? Self professed music junkie? Or have the knack for singing? Then you shouldn’t miss Beauty World, a stunning theatre production incorporating all of the above. Here’s a review on Wild Rice’s much celebrated production.
December 17, 2007
An Essential Journey
You must be wondering as to how there is yet another public holiday-Hari Raya Haji, coming up on the 20th December, commemorating a Muslim religious event, when Hari Raya Puasa just ended 2 months ago?
September 19, 2007
"Crikey"
It has been a year since our much loved Crocodile Hunter, Steve Irwin, died on September 4, 2006.
"I have no fear of losing my life - if I have to save a koala or a crocodile or a kangaroo or a snake, mate, I will save it."-Steve Irwin
This picture was taken at our very own Singapore Zoological Gardens with our much loved Ah Meng and family. Steve commented that the Singapore Zoo was one of his favourite destination.
September 17, 2007
Hot Hot Baby...
Many people don't realize that we are committed right now to a significant amount of global warming and sea level rise," said Gerald Meehl of the National Center for Atmospheric Research. "The longer we wait to do something about it, the more change we will have."
There is a lot of media coverage now about global warming and its threatening effects.
From catastrophic sea level rise to jarring changes in local weather, humanity faces a potentially dangerous threat from the changes our own pollution has wrought on Earth’s climate.
Most scientific public discussions on the topic tend to focus not on research but on the potential impacts of higher global temperatures. The following summarizes the major concerns.
August 29, 2007
Blood Moon
How many of us, stargazers, were the lucky few to view the total lunar eclipse last evening despite the cloudy skies?
A total eclipse of the moon was slated to occur on Tuesday evening, between 5pm and 8pm. The best places to view this phenomenon cited by scientists were namely Eastern Asia, Australia and America.
August 22, 2007
Pink for the girls, blue for the boys
Image fron Factiva.com
Blue has been always associated with men, and pink to women. As sexist as it may seem, this old adage has been scientifically proven to be true. It is official everyone, men’s preferred colour is blue, while women tend to gravitate towards the colour pink. (By the way, blue is also the most popular colour.)
This was found in a research led by Professor Anya Hurlbert of Britain’s Newcastle University. She mentioned that women’s preference for pink was due to evolution. She explained that in primitive times “when women were the primary gatherers, they would have benefited from an ability to home in on ripe, red fruits.” (1)
The British researchers, to come to a conclusion, studied 208 young adults’ colour preferences. (2)
Just how did they go about with this study?
Volunteers were asked to select, as quickly as possible, their preferred colour from each of a series of paired, coloured rectangles (1,000 of them). Professor Hurlbert and her colleagues then plotted the results along the colour spectrum and discovered that while men prefer blue, women gravitate towards the pinker end of the blue spectrum. (2)
Apparently, women had a very clear pattern. Their choices were low in the yellow and green regions and rises to a peak in the purplish to reddish region. This shifted their colour preference slightly away from the blue towards the red. The differences were so substantial that experienced researchers were able to predict the sex of a participant by checking their favourite colour. (4)
Whether it is really true that gender-based colours exist, it still looks like this ongoing tradition of "pink for the girls and blue for the boys," is here to stay for a long time.
Direct Links:
(1) “Girls really do prefer pink.” The Gold Coast Bulletin. 21 August 2007. From Factiva.com
(2) Dayton, Leigh. “Division of sexes is colour coded.” The Australian. 21 August 2007. From Factiva.com
(3) “Women really do prefer pink, researchers say.” Reuters News. 21 August 2007. From Factiva.com
(4) Wainwright, Martin. “Pink for a girl and blue for a boy – and it’s all down to evolution.” The Guardian. 21 August 2007. From Factiva.com
One In Four Adults Read No Books Last Year; Biggest Readers Were Women, Older People
Image taken from Factiva.com
A poll done on Americans reflected that one in four adults read no books in 2006. As shocking as it may seem, the polls reveals the truth, that there are indeed people all over this globe who have hardly ever read.
It was also reflected in the Associated Press-Ipsos poll that amongst those who read, women and seniors were most avid. Top choices for books were mostly religious works and popular fiction.
How about Singaporeans? Do we read? Share your views with us.
Direct Links:
(1) Fram, Alan. "Poll: 1 in 4 U.S. adults read no books last year." Associated Press Newswires. 22 August 2007. Data from: Factiva.com
August 06, 2007
Today, 62 years ago…
the Hiroshima bombing took place. Yes it’s been that long since this unfortunate bombing occurred. Many of us may have forgotten this aspect of history. So to commemorate today, we figured we might enlighten you on what exactly happened on the 6th of August 1945.
Smoke billows from the atomic bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima August 6 1945. At the time this photo was made, smoke from the blast billowed 20,000 feet above Hiroshima and spread 10,000 feet over the target.
Image courtesy of Reuters from Factiva.com
July 23, 2007
What You See Is What You Get?
If you think what you see is what you get, think twice. Over the years, bogus China-made products are a dime in a dozen.
July 03, 2007
07.07.07: A Day to Remember
Finally, the much-needed worldwide collaboration to save the earth is materialising. Live Earth is set to kick off this Saturday, on every single continent. Yes even on Antarctica, where some effects of global warming are most visible, with 5 British scientists stationed there to perform for a small audience. (1)
7,112 ‘Friends of Live Earth’ events (still growing in numbers), according to Live Earth’s official website, including eight giant concerts have been lined up for this big day. What’s so special about the 7 July 2007, you ask? (2)
June 28, 2007
Civilising the Internet
How many times have we logged into discussions forums only to be left flabbergasted, with the vast amount of colourful (from what we found out, there’s a huge list) obscenities uttered everywhere? This is not only happening in discussion forums, but in blogs, chatrooms, just about everywhere that allow Internet users to leave behind their “thoughtful” comments.
The Internet has developed into something so important today, that one could even feel handicapped without it. Internet users come from various parts of the world, from many walks of life with different cultures, and belong to diverse age groups. Each group of users has their own expectations, characteristics and habits.
June 18, 2007
Knowing your eggs
Now that all evolved consumers are urged to ponder their carbon feet, it seems that they are increasingly asking to know more about what they are buying. How was the product made? By whom? How did it get from its point of origin to its point of sale? What effect does it have on the environment before and after purchasing?
These questions are now being answered to some degree by ‘life story labels' being included in product packaging, telling the careful consumer more and more about the where, what and how of the item they are buying, focusing on its "least harm" impact. Big names such as Timberland and Tesco were quick to get onto this latest eco-fad
June 15, 2007
GST Hike
Corporate taxes have been slashed worldwide. Today, there are at least a dozen economies with corporate tax rates below 20 per cent, including most Eastern European countries (15-19 per cent), Hong Kong (17.5 per cent) and Ireland (12.5 per cent). Raising the GST (goods and service tax) would give Singapore additional fiscal leeway to reduce its corporate tax rates. – (1)
Come 1st July, the GST will be raised by 2 percentage points, from 5% to 7%. However, there is a genuine concern that the GST hike will have a great impact on the lower income groups. In view of the GST hike, the government and some retailers are doing their part to offset the increase in prices. – (1)
June 13, 2007
From The Newspapers ...
Indonesia
Article: Indonesian Rainforests Disappearing Fast - UN Blames Illegal Loggers and Warns That Orang Utans May Not Survive
INDONESIA'S tropical rainforests are disappearing 30 per cent faster than previously estimated as illegal loggers raid large national parks, threatening the long-term survival of orang utans, according to a United Nations report released on Monday... Read more, look into our News databases.
China
Article: Two in Three Cities Hit by Pollution
NEARLY two in three cities suffered from air pollution last year and had no centralised sewage treatment facilities, state media reported yesterday.
June 05, 2007
Wake Up and Smell The Coffee
First there was Bring Your Bag Day, followed by Earth Day, and today it’s World Environment Day. It’s alarming that we earthlings, inhabitants of Earth, need to be reminded constantly that we should be caring for this planet we live in.
World Environment Day, which started back in 1972, is celebrated annually on the 5th of June. This day was set aside by the United Nations General Assembly and its commemoration is entrusted to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), whose international headquarters are located in Nairobi, Kenya. - 1
Tiger skins are burnt to mark World Environment Day in Bombay
The purpose of World Environment Day is to focus worldwide attention on the importance of the environment and stimulate political attention and action. Every year a different city is chosen to host annual event. The host government/city, in co-operation with UNEP, set the tone for the event. A theme, slogan and logo would be selected to be the focus for all of the World Environment Day information materials and promotional activities worldwide.
The slogan for 2007 is “Melting Ice – A Hot Topic?” which focuses on the effects that climatic changes have on polar ecosystems and communities, and the consequences around the world at the end of the day. The host city this year is Tromsø, Norway. - 2
The agenda set for today is:
- to give a human face to environmental issues
- empower people to become active agents of sustainable and quitable development
- promote an understanding that communities are pivotal to changing attitudes towards environmental issues
- advocate partnership, which will ensure all nations and people enjoy a safer and more prosperous future
Interest in this annual event has been increasing each year, as evidenced by the number of countries which lend their support to this important United Nations Day, by the expanding list of municipalities, businesses and communities that participate, and by the hundreds of thousands of individuals who visit UNEP's World Environment Day website. - 1
An Algerian performs during the World Environment Day in Algiers
The world is all geared up to celebrate World Environment Day. How so, you ask?
The Future HDBs?
Dutch scientists predict a rise in sea levels of up to 110cm by the year 2100 due to global warming. The rise in seawater levels has caused land in large cities like Amsterdam to become scarce. Thus, there is the growing belief that floating and amphibious houses may become a common kind of property here in the future.
May 30, 2007
e-waste = $$$ ... just don't breathe in...!
In striving to be so hi-tech, so tuned in, so pumped to be "cutting edge" or "cool" or 24/7 connected. To have latest, fastest "best in show" devices for our palmtop, laptop or desktop is the ultimate techright of the tomorrow people. Planned obsolescence is the only verity and perpetual upgrades are the automatically downloaded rule.
But just for a moment, pause, and think what that means in terms of the the computer hardware and nifty electronics we habitually get rid of. Where do they go and who does what with them? It is being increasing understood that we are dumping a problem of epidemic proportions, estimations say that 20 to 50 million tons of digital waste is generated annually worldwide.
Most of this is shipped out to India, China and Kenya where "scavenger economies" have grown up - feeding off the vast mountains of our electronic detritus Families eke out a living from the harmful, the toxic and the downright deadly spare parts, rescuing the precious from the shells and casings of the unwanted, once desirable consumer toy.
Technology, they say, drives the forces of globalization. But at what cost? This photo essay provides a graphic insight into the people on the other end of our connected world
DIRECT LINKS
INSIDE THE DIGITAL DUMP. Foreign Policy, May/Jun2007 Issue 160, p74-79, 6p; (AN 24873868)
from EBSCOHost Academic Search Premier
Image courtesy of Foreign Policy via EBSCOHost
May 21, 2007
Memories are made of ...?
Memory is a funny thing. We all have unique memories--places, people, sounds, and smells that are personally significant and trigger reactions across the spectrum of our emotions. What is your earliest earliest memory? What is your most recent memory? Memory is personal and powerful. As a person our memories establish where we've been and who we are when we were there. Our memories are the Ariadne's threads which lead back to our childhood selves from the adults we have turned into because, or in spite of, these memories. When we're young we tend to take our memories for granted but as we get older, as they slip away, we may become fearful and disorientated. We often say that the computer has a memory and we increasingly use it as our "backup" memory for documents, photos, videos. In recent years the Internet has become our collective memory where we can turn for a memory jog on a multifarious amount of subjects - all we need to do is remember the search word that will call up the correct answer or memory!
World War III
Often, we are concerned with the war waging in Iraq. However, we might have failed to recognise another war brewing. One that does not involve missles flying or nuclear bombings. A “subtle“ war yet of massive destruction. The war between us, humans, and Mother Nature.
May 02, 2007
Life beyond Earth
Ever wondered if there was another planet, just like Earth, in existence?
We may not know what lies far away from us right now but we are sure inching closer to discovery.
A planet very similar to our mother earth might be in existence after all. Astronomers have discovered an, what they describe as, icy earth-like planet orbiting a distant extra-solar star. (1)
Dubbed a ‘super-Earth’, the international team of scientists said the planet, which they believe to be a bare, rocky world, weighs 13 times as much as Earth and is circling a star about 9,000 light-years away. ‘Super-Earth’ appears to be the most Earth-like of any of the more than 200 planets discovered outside the solar system. (2)
April 19, 2007
Earth Day
Inspired by anti-war "teach-ins" and the activist culture of the late 1960s, United States Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin organized the first Earth Day on April 22, 1970, to raise awareness of environmental issues and elevate the state of the environment into mainstream political discourse. Denis Hayes, a 25-year-old Harvard law student, was selected to organize and coordinate teach-ins, addressing topics such as pollution and environmental degradation, on college campuses across the United States. Students inspired by the teach-ins and the ensuing publicity that Hayes orchestrated went on to organize thousands of cleanup activities and protest actions to mark the first Earth Day in 1970. Earth Day is now observed in 140 nations and because of Earth Day, the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) was formed.
Countries are now beginning to realise the importance of reducing the emission of greenhouse gases and global warming. Here are some of the steps taken or to be taken by various countries in their efforts to ‘save the dying planet.’
February 27, 2007
79th Oscars
The much-awaited 79th Annual Academy Awards was presented yesterday to recognise some of the best in the film production industry.
There were no surprises in the acting categories. British actress Helen Mirren won Best Actress for her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth II in The Queen, while Forest Whitaker won Best Actor for his scary turn as African dictator Idi Amin in The Last King Of Scotland.
Inexperienced, Jennifer Hudson clinched best supporting actress for playing a struggling singer in Dreamgirls. She made the remarkable leap from seventh in American Idol to winner at the Oscars, edging out a field that included Cate Blanchett for Notes On A Scandal.
However, there were some surprises at this year’s Oscars.
January 29, 2007
Diversity: Oscar's Surprise
This year's Oscar nominations have gone global (Sunday Telegraph).
The bigger surprise was however, in the round-up of nominees for the 79th Academy Awards. Dreamgirls was excluded from the best-picture competition, despite it leading the field with eight nominations, making it the first time in Oscar’s history that a movie with the most nominations isn't a best-picture contender. (1)
The Latinos took away a record 20 nominations in total. In addition to the heavy Latino representation, five black actors were nominated in acting categories: Forest Whitaker (for The Last King of Scotland), Will Smith (The Pursuit of Happyness), Eddie Murphy and Jennifer Hudson (Dreamgirls) and Djimon Hounsou (Blood Diamond). (2)
Best Picture nominee or not, Dreamgirls managed to do well, scoring two nominations in the supporting actor ranks: for Jennifer Hudson (American Idol runner-up), and Eddie Murphy, who brings pathos and serious vocalising to the role of a soul-revue veteran.
Clint Eastwood's war-ridden Letters From Iwo Jima, may have bumped the popular musical off the card, along with the four other expected Best Picture nominees namely Babel, The Departed, Little Miss Sunshine and The Queen. (1)
Speaking of foreign language, let’s revert to the initial surprise of this post. This year's Oscar nominations have gone global (we’re just reinforcing this point). This seems to be a trend. Out of the 20 acting nominees, five are black, two are Latina and one is Japanese.
January 24, 2007
Computers = Death of social interaction?
The ubiquity of computers, Internet and media technology can no longer be disregarded. This is reflected in a major paradigm shift in the dynamics of social relationships and the increasingly apparent, potentially detrimental effects on common social interactions.
For instance, with regards to video gaming, researchers have found that violent video games provide a forum for learning and practising aggressive solutions to conflict situations. The active nature of the learning environment of video games suggests that this medium is potentially more dangerous than TV and movie media.
On the other hand, there is also the issue of time, when it comes to media consumption.
The average American spends more time using media; an iPod, computer, radio, television, etc. than in any other wakeful activity, almost nine hours a day. The amount of time people spend immersed in the media environment affects the way they behave and interact outside of that space.
Continue reading "Computers = Death of social interaction?" »
January 22, 2007
Are we nearing Doomsday?
Would it soon be the last days of mother Earth?
That’s what the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists concluded, when they moved the Doomsday Clock’s time up two minutes to 11:55pm. So now, we’re symbolically five minutes away from apocalypse.
The scientists say the world is in its “most perilous state'' since the Hiroshima bomb in 1945. - 4
January 18, 2007
The "Globe" whirls with only more drama
It was an excellent time for the rest of us, who are excluded from the Hollywood population, to simply sit back, rest on our laurels and universally subscribe to the kind of “attention-deficit entertainment.”
It’s none other than the Golden Globe Awards, which basically encompasses “a speedy compendium of short bursts, abbreviated clips of the nominated works, condensed acceptance speeches and peekaboo camera pans of the audience.”
Continue reading "The "Globe" whirls with only more drama" »
January 16, 2007
Blood + Rough + Dirty = Diamonds?
Though it's thousands of miles away
Sierra Leone connect to what we go through today
Over here it's a drug trade, we die from drugs
Over there they die from what we buy from drugs
The diamonds, the chains, the bracelets, the charmses
I thought my Jesus piece was so harmless
'Til I seen a picture of a shorty armless
And here's the conflict
It's in a black person soul to rock that gold
Spend your while life tryin' to get that ice
On a Polo rugby it look so nice
How can something so wrong make me feel so right?
Right? 'fore I beat myself up like Ike
You can still throw your Roc-a-Fella diamond tonight
- Diamonds from Sierra Leone, Kanye West
Recently released blockbuster Blood Diamond has been causing a stir. And no, we are not talking about the usual Hollywood movies with made-up stories that most often seem surreal here.
However saddening, dramatic and violent Blood Diamond may seem, ultimately, it tells a true story.
December 18, 2006
A good defense against the Big C?
The world may have just stumbled upon the answer to one of the world’s most persisting afflictions. Cervical cancer remains the second-most common cancer of women globally. According to the advisory committee of the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, girls ages 11 and 12 should routinely receive the newly licensed vaccine, called Gardasil, to protect against the human papillomavirus virus, known as HPV. Most scientific studies have found that human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is responsible for more than 90% of the cases of cervical cancer.
However this issue of allowing young girls to get the vaccination has evolved into an ethical dilemma for many parents.
"I would no more get this vaccine for one of my daughters than I would give them a bottle of Jack Daniels on a Friday night just because ‘most of the other kids are drinking,’ " said Janice Dvuanich, 47, a Spokane mother of five, including three adult daughters.
Vaccinating against HPV, the most common sexually transmitted infection in the United States, would send the wrong message to youth, said Michael Smith, a Spokane father of two young sons.
December 01, 2006
World AIDS Day 2006
Around forty million people are living with HIV throughout the world - and that number increases in every region every day. More than 25 million people have died of AIDS since 1981. 15 million children worldwide have been orphaned by AIDS
In South and South-East Asia 7.8 million are living with HIV. Over half a million have died of AIDS to date
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome, or AIDS, causes the deterioration of the body's immune system. When affected by AIDS, the body suffers from a deficiency of T-helper lymphocytes, the cells in the bloodstream that produce the antibodies that combat infection. Consequently, this makes an individual with