Me and The Issues

Energy and Ecology (Environment Friendly)

When we talk about environment nowadays we will think of the depleting fossil fuels, the greenhouse effect, global warming and the list goes on. Due to the fear of destroying the earth, being environment-friendly seems to have became quite a popular term.

In the past, we were all eager to develop, to improve. Countries were fighting for development, companies were fighting for profits. However, now that the consequences of such developments were being discovered, are we truly willing to slow down and save the earth?

Many companies are now trying to advertise themselves as environmental friendly. One example will be Apple, which is now focusing on energy efficiency and recycling. Their new 20 inch iMac is made from highly recyclable glass and aluminum and is so energy efficient it consumes about the same energy as a standard light bulb. However, are they truly trying to save the environment, or is it merely for advertisement sake?

Even Singapore has come up with its own Go Green Campaign, trying to create awareness among its people.  Supermarkets like NTUC will not give out plastic bags on certain days of the week. However, it costs merely ten cent if you really need a plastic bag from them, do you think this help to deter people from using plastic bags? It is common knowledge that the icebergs are melting, that the ozone layer is depleting, but why is it that some people just choose to ignore such consequences? Things like fossil fuels and icebergs are not things we see, thus it is likely for us to sacrifice them for the sake of economic gains and other practical needs. Simple things like saving on electricity and recycling your newspapers will contribute, but some feel that this is too little to matter, hence not bothering at all.

It is indeed hard for all to be environmental friendly, for there will always be people who are unwilling to do so. It is also not wise for countries or governments to force the people into being environmentalists, because this is a personal choice. Companies like Apple might be doing it for the sake of advertisements but it is better than those who are not doing it at all. Some companies are producing large amount of waste, and even worse dumping them into the third world countries who in turn happily receive it for the sake of economic gains. Do they really not know the consequences of such pollution are did they merely chose to fulfill their practical needs instead?

There is no absolute measure to solve this worldwide problem. The only thing that governments like Singapore can do is to try to create awareness among the people. Places like NTUC can do their bit in protecting the environment but, whether the people choose to receive it or not will be up to them. As even celebrities are now stepping out to promote being environmental friendly, let’s hope that even though not sincerely, more people will follow their footsteps and doing their part for the environment. For we all know the heavy price we have to pay if we continue such mistakes.

Facebook

Facebook. I am sure most people are familiar with this term. I myself have a facebook account, and so do many of my friends.

I was asking one of my friends to sign up for a facebook account a few days ago and she asked me a simple question. What is it about facebook that made it so attractive to teenagers, and even adults? You can view photos of your friends, post messages on their page or even chat with them instantly if they are online at the moment. You can send them ‘gifts’ including flowers, food or even pets. You can keep track of their birthdays and even find out how many mutual friends you have. It is like a mini society which welcomes everyone.

 But out of everything, I would think the most important factor is how we are able to keep track of each other’s life without the person knowing. I was just facebook-ing the other day and without having to talk to anyone, I managed to find out where my ex-classmates have gone to, what they are doing now. A friend of mine even went to facebook all her course-mates, and it’s amazing how she can know so much about everyone before she even meet them. We can see that it is indeed a useful spying device.

If you are a fan of the internet and facebook you would say that facebook has resulted in great convenience. You do not have to make any phone calls at the risk of disturbing your friend who might be mugging hard for his exam nor do you have to press your ex-classmate for information about this particular person. All you need is just to click and enter into the same network as this person and most probably (if he did not set his profile private) you would be able to find out all you need to know about him. It’s time saving and less energy consuming, and it draws people closer together.

But of course, if you are one of those who still believe in letter writing, you would say facebook is rubbish. It is even worse than email writing which is already insincere enough. It became an excuse not to contact your once close classmate. And you would think it is ridiculous expressing your concern through messages posted on the wall, and funny how people consider themselves social butterflies just became they have two hundred friends on facebook. It has pulled people apart further than ever. To get information about a person does not equate to being close to him/her. Facebook is merely a stalking device like any fan site!

Yes, it is ironic how people can think of it as two extremes. However no matter what, one cannot deny that facebook is a rising social trend, if it has not already become a trend. Even if you are not a facebook addict, one of your friends must be one. And for once, this is not just a trend among the teenagers. Surprisingly, the first time I heard of facebook was through my junior college teacher who is already in her thirties and a mother of two.

Facebook has changed the way people communicate with each other and is being use as a tool to socialize. Some many think that it has resulted in an invasion of privacy, but why sign up for a facebook account if you care so much about your privacy? But then again, when internet first started and globalization began, we have already lost our privacy. I would think facebook is just a fun application, perhaps to drop a hello when you are too busy or send a good luck plant during exams. Most would still be happy to see such messages, even if it’s in the virtual world, just don’t become addicted to it!

Facebook – The movie (They know)

<object width=”425″ height=”344″><param name=”movie” value=”http://www.youtube.com/v/f0MC2lUl92A&hl=en&fs=1″></param><param name=”allowFullScreen” value=”true”></param><param name=”allowscriptaccess” value=”always”></param><embed src=”http://www.youtube.com/v/f0MC2lUl92A&hl=en&fs=1” type=”application/x-shockwave-flash” allowscriptaccess=”always” allowfullscreen=”true” width=”425″ height=”344″></embed></object>

Population and Health

Health is important to every human being and there’s a saying that says it cannot be bought by money. However, is that really true?

We are all aware of the poor condition in rural countries, the people there lack money, food, water, education and the list goes on. They are not educated enough to know what they are doing might affect their health, or rather, do they even know what health is? They have no money to get proper food and water. In poor countries like Africa the people eat whatever they can find, bath and drink from the same place. In Africa, more than one billion people have to travel a significant distance to collect water and almost half the population has no access to basic sanitation. Due to this, 4000 children die everyday from waterborne diseases. On the other hand, in Singapore, we get water with just a turn of the tap. Do we even know what waterborne diseases are?

In Singapore, the hospitals are able to cater to people with different illnesses. People are encouraged to go for health checkups every years for early detection of any diseases. For the less well  off people, we have different organisations subsidising them. In South Africa, at least one in ten people are HIV positive, the number still increasing. By the time the people reach adulthood, most were already dying, be it from aids, tuberculosis or malaria (Geffen). The life expectancy rate not exceeding sixty. The saddest thing is, most are not even aware of their own health conditions.  Also, most with such transmitted diseases live in informal settlements. This shows how poor housing conditions affect a person’s health. Most importantly, how poverty deprives a person of good health and treatment for diseases that could have been easily cured if the patient is living in countries like Singapore.

The culture of such rural areas, the lack of knowledge of hygience have led to the quick spread of diseases. Just like what has happened in Guangdong province, how the consumption of wild animals has led to a deadly disease called SARS. Such examples are ample, just not commonly known because they have yet to affect us.

From this, we can see how social inequality has affected even issues like health. The rich has the access to good medical services, while the poor are struggling to even get enough food. Is it fair to leave the poor to suffer and die? But is there anything which we can do to improve their conditions? It is not able giving them the best medical services or resources. Nobody can give them anything if they themselves do not want it. Rather than health, it is natural that they are more concern about food and their immediate survival. Health is something they cannot see, something that cannot fill their stomachs.

The root of the problem is still the poor conditions they are living in. There is no use giving them condoms and to educate them about safe sex. They want as many children as possible, to them children are resources to help them with work and labour. They need to improve, step by step. There is no reason why Singapore can achieve success while a country like Africa which such rich natural resources is so backward. Perhaps conditions will be better if  the other countries can stop exploiting them, be it for natural resources or cheap labour. No use giving them money today and digging for oil in their land tomorrow.

Reference:

Geffen, N. (n.d.). What do South Africa’s AIDS statistics mean? Retrieved 2006, from Treatment Action Campaign: http://www.tac.org.za/community/aidsstats