ISIS terrorists

Summary:
ISIS - Islamic state of Iraq and Syria, which is also known as ISIL - Islamic state of Iraq and the Lerant. the ISIS is a muslim Islamist rebel group lead by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Their motto, Remaing and expanding. The ISIS is known for its well-founded web and social media propaganda, which includes beheading of soldiers, civilians, journalists, non-muslims and especially Jews and Christians. They have also threatened to behead Mr Obama in the white house.
Opinion:
In my opinion, not everyone has to be under the same religon. People have the right to choose what they believe in. I also feel that these ISIS terrorists should not be so harsh on the non-believers and kill them.

Ebola crisis by Clarice

Summary:

Ebola is a widespread virus disease. It was founded in 1976 with a total of 22,091 suspected cases and 8,810 deaths. It began in the Sub Saharan Africa and in December 2013 was spread to Guinea. The early symptoms of the Ebola virus include - fever, severe headache, joint and muscle aches, chills and weakness. Overtime, the symptoms become increasingly severe they include - nausea and vomiting, diarrhea that might contain blood, red eyes, raised rash, chest pain and cough, stomach pain, severe weight loss bleeding mainly in the eyes, bruising, and internal bleeding. Some people are not taught about Ebola, therefore cannot handle it and prevent it from infecting them.

Opinion:
In my opinion, ways to prevent getting sick are to watch your personal hygiene. We should also be considerate, for instance u have caught a cold. You should be considerate and cover your mouth and nose with a mask when you are outdoors. This will reduce the amount of germs in the air, which will reduce the amount of people getting sick.

Ebola patient zero by Fiona

Summary
Ebola has struck fear in hearts of people but,patient zero's farther is still struggling. Ebola first started with Emily Ouamono ,he live in a rainforest village in southern Guinea. Ebola killed Emily's mother,grandmother and sister. Since  then ,the disease has spreaded. The village is now free of Ebola but the effects of it are still there. Families reject infection children and family members.
Opinion
I think that Ebola could have been prevented if Emile had gone for the treatment. The family members should still care for him just not going too close to him. I hope that the Ebola crisis would end soon.

'Human tetris' jam at Lakeside Mrt platform by Kent

Link : video

Summary: During the peak hour at Lakeside Mrt platform commuters on a particular train  were instructed to get off , and at the very same time, a new batch of commuters were heading to the platform on the escalator . Thus , this lead to the platform to be fully packed. People were just non-stop taking the escalator up the platform , not knowing what was happening. When they reached the end of the escalator, they were forced to squeeze into the crowd. This gone on for 30 secs and one of the commuter taped it down . The SMRT staff then took action and stopped the escalator .

Opinion: I feel that the SMRT did not do their job professionally and ending up causing commuters hurt . I feel that they should have planned well on where to ask the commuters to alight the train especially during peak hours. This incident has left a very bad impression to the public. 

Why is this so important to us , especially Singapore : I personally feel that this matter is important as many of the public in Singapore uses this type of transport to travel around. Mostly uses it during peak hours , example to work or going back home. This incident may have lead to injuries or may cause death if there were no security and boundaries . People may just fall into the tracks or may cause people to stomp onto each other. Secondly , it gives a very bad impression to foreigners who are taking the same transport. They may feel or think that Singapore is a very rowdy and unorganised country . Hopefully this problem doesn't come again and if it does , hopefully SMRT and commuters are able to solve it in a professional and safe way.            

Underwater World Singapore criticised for ‘sub-standard’ animal living conditions

Summary:Animal welfare groups have called on Underwater World Singapore (UWS) to cease all animal shows and have called on the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) to respond, noting that UWS appeared to have violated laws by making an injured dolphin perform in shows.Health checks are conducted regularly and the results show that, apart from the cancer, which is being specifically treated, the dolphin is generally in good health,” said a UWS spokesperson, adding that it does not participate in any performance or programme.

Opinion:In my opinion, I think that animals should not perform when they are sick as some diseases are contagious and may spread to people. The animals should also not perform when the are seek as they would have to receive stress and will be felling worse.

Virtual GirlFriend by Fiona

Summary

Opinion

Middle East Conflict by Jian Xiang

SUMMARY: About 400,000 of Gaza's residents were displaced by Israel's recent 50-day 

military operation. Some 18,000 homes were also destroyed and many more were 

damaged. One of the worst affected neighbourhoods was Shejaiya, near the eastern border,

 where the Israeli military says it targeted Palestinian militants and their tunnels. On the 

night of Saturday 19 July, Shejaiya was attacked by heavy artillery, mortars and air 

strikes sending up columns of thick, black smoke. Within a day, dozens of Palestinians and 

at least 13 Israeli soldiers were killed. There was a chaotic scene as thousands of locals 

tried to flee to Gaza City. It was a place where they could seek shelter at United Nation`s 

schools and Shifa hospital. There at that time were many casualties. Soon, battles were 

erupted between the Islamic troops and Hama militants in the streets. Through this attack 

on Shejaiya, many became homeless and the houses would take a very long time to be 

rebuilt. After this 50 days of terror, the conflict have finally ended with a truce. However,

the damage has already been done.


OPINION: I think that this massive destruction could have been avoided if both countries 

had talked over nicely. Had not been so rash, they would not have angered others and thus, 

retaliated the attack. It would be so much more peaceful and less painful as both sides 

suffered heavy losses. We should all learn from this incident and not to start such a conflict.

21 confirmed dead in tugboat capsizing in eastern China by Jian Xiang

SUMMARY:

Authorities confirmed 21 people dead in the capsizing of a tugboat with an international team on a test voyage in eastern China, after rescuers dragged the overturned vessel to shallow waters and scoured it on Saturday. However, there is still 1 person missing and rescuers continued to search the cockpit of the vessel as well as nearby sections of the Yangtze River in the province of Jiangsu. The newly built, 30-meter Wanshenzhou 67 was on a test try when it suddenly capsized. Three Chinese were rescued , including one man identified as an interpreter who was freed when rescuers cut through the bottom of the boat's hull early Friday — a full 14 hours after it went down.

OPINION:

In my opinion, i think that this type of incident could be avoided if they were much careful out at sea. Thankfully there were not many people on board the ship, if not, the consequences might be much more serious. fortunately there were 3 survivors. I hope that the last remaining missing person might survive this ordeal and be found as soon as possible

In Venturing abroad, S’pore students should not look too far

Summary: In the lecture that was held earlier last month, Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong stated that in order to sustain Singapore’s economic growth, we need two wings like a bird. The domestic wing and the external wing. One cannot do without the other. Media reports that many students from SMU, Ngee Ann Poly and NTU has tried to apply for internships not locally but overseas. Mr Goh Chok Tong emphasizes that although Singapore’s domestic market is too small to warrant many senior local positions, Singapore has been remarkably successfully in wooing multinationals to locate their regional headquarters in Singapore.

Opinion: In my opinion, these students are willing to go out despite the risk of going for an internship overseas. Although Singapore’s Senior Minister Mr Goh Chok Tong emphasizes that we must have our internship in Singapore, I find that there are not many business opportunities locally so I find it very logical why many local students from NTU, SMU will go overseas to look for jobs and be a permanent resident there. As you can see how many senior managers are local. Mostly from other countries such as Malaysia, China, Philippines and even Myanmar people are taking up these jobs and not leaving any for local.

Ebola by Kent Ong

Summary : Ebola was found since 1976.  During 2014, there was an outbreak of Ebola. Ebola is a disease that can cause death. At first , Ebola was started at Uganda and Sudan, however last year's outbreak started at Guinea which was unexpected as it was not infected before. Ebola can be spread through close physical contact with infected people.When a person has died from Ebola, their body will have a very high viral load. Bleeding is a usual symptom of the disease prior to death. People there are affected badly as hugging , kissing , touching and washing is part of their religious worship when someone dies. People there are not educated thus do not know how to handle and prevent themselves not getting infected. Thus this resulted in the outbreak of Ebola. 

Opinion: In my opinion , personal hygiene is very important. Keeping oneself clean can help to prevent such diseases. Being considerate is also very important . Example when you are infected with a virus which has a symptom of cough or flu , wearing a mask will help to not spread the virus as it can be spread through the air. Lastly , I think that education is very important . Education not only teaches us a subject but also teaches us how to protect ourselves.