Class 95 DOG WALK 2008

Today on the 6th of April I brought my family to the Class 95 Dog Walk 2008.

My god was there filled with sooo many dog lovers... I think there was more than 200 dogs...

The walk started at 9am.... Here are jus a few photos...

The Husky group

Boy was there lots of poos here and there.... But in the end I would say it was fun... Got to see lots of beautifully groomed K9s...

Some of the highlights... My BOYS!! On main stage!!

Just some interesting facts about dogs...

• In Second World War, Russians trained dogs to run suicide missions between the tracks of German tanks with mines strapped on their backs.




• In the Middle Ages, Mastiffs used to be dressed in light armor to which was strapped a pot of flaming sulphur and were then made to run into battle against mounted knights.




• The ancient Chinese royalty loved the Pekingese, carrying them tucked into the sleeves of their royal robes.




• Dachshunds were bred to fight badgers in their dens.




• The Poodle haircut was originally meant to improve the dog's swimming abilities as a retriever, with the pom-poms left in place to warm their joints.




• Greyhounds are no doubt fast. In fact, they can reach speeds of up to 45 miles per hour for short amounts of time.




• Have you ever seen a dog curled up with his tail covering his nose? They do that to keep the nose warm in cold weather.




• Many dogs' eyes reflect the color green in the dark, but some also reflect orange or red.




• Laikia, a dog, was the world's first ever space astronaut. She was sent into space in an artificial earth satellite in 1957 by the Russian government.




• Theobromine in chocolates, a substance similar to caffeine, can kill the dogs, or at the very least make them seriously ill.

Tired.... Damn... Still not yet do my tutorials.....

Long Text Assignment - Climate Change

Our planet is heating up!!!

In the words of Al Gore (a prominent environmental activist and former forty-fifth Vice President of the United States), when he was pointing at the big screen in his presentation about global warming in the film The Inconvenient Truth, "You see that pale, blue dot(earth)? That's us. Everything that has ever happened in all of human history has happened on that pixel. All the triumphs and all the tragedies, all the wars, all the famines, all the major advances... it's our only home. And that is what is at stake, our ability to live on planet Earth, to have a future as a civilization. I believe this is a moral issue, it is your time to cease this issue, it is our time to rise again to secure our future..." (Guggenheim, 2006). Indeed, our planet is facing a threat that is very serious. That is global warming. According to the United States Environment Protection Agency (2006) Global warming refers to an average increase in the Earth's temperature, which in turn causes changes in climate.

So is our planet really warming up? Well, according to Henson (2006) in one word, “yes”. He mentioned that independent teams of scientists have laboriously combed through more than a century's worth of temperature records and all analysis points to a rise of close to 0.8 degree Celsius (1.4 degree Fahrenheit) in the average surface air temperature of earth over the last century (Henson, 2006). An increase in global temperature will lead to rise in sea level due to the melting of the polar caps and changes in weather patterns as some places suffer from severe monsoons while other places have severe droughts. Singapore, an island state is one such place. Though Singaporean are not affected by earthquakes, typhoons, hurricanes and other natural disasters, we are not spared from the effects of global warming.

Firstly, rise in sea level, Lomborg (2007) mentioned that a rise in sea level is due to two factors. First, when water gets warmer, like everything else, it expands. Second, run off from land-based glaciers has added to the global water volume over the past 40 years. In short, glaciers have contributed about 60% and water expansion 40% (Lomborg, 2007). And because of that, occurrences of erosion to areas like East Coast Park are suffering from receding shoreline. What makes it an irony is that areas along East Coast Park were once reclaimed land, but now, nature is "reclaiming" it back. Also, coastal reservoirs like Kranji are also at risk of being “reclaimed”. Rising sea level aggravates inland flooding as well. Though Singapore has a good drainage system, water will not be able to flow out as Singapore is a low lying island.

Secondly, though Singapore has NEWater plants, we are still heavily dependent on Malaysia and our reservoirs for water supply. The change in weather patterns will bring about problems in rationing our water supplies. For example, the Public Utilities Board (PUB) would normally reduce the storage of water during the December period as there are many rain days. But if the weather patterns were to change and the numbers of rainy days were to be reduced drastically, there would be shortage of the water supply. Also, many of the roadside trees and bushes planted all over Singapore would suffer either with too much water or too little. Change in rainfall patterns would also bring about dengue problems as mosquito breed better during rainy seasons.

Lastly, the lifestyle of humans and the habitat of nature will change drastically because both humans and wildlife are unable to adapt to, such changes fast enough. For example, as Singapore is located close to the equator, our average annual temperature is about 28 degree Celsius. And because of that, most Singaporeans use air-conditioning to sleep better at night. But the increase in annual temperatures would lead to increased incidents of discomfort and heat stress. It would be particularly obvious among the elderly, the sick and those without access to air-conditioning. The wildlife also would be affected by the changes in the natural environment. For example, between September and March, birds from northern areas such as Siberia stopover in Singapore’s Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve for warmer climate. But if the wetlands are not suitable, the birds might give Singapore a miss and fly to some other parts of the world. This would cause an imbalance in the ecosystem in the wetlands.

In conclusion, climate change will have very big impact on Singapore and the world as a whole but what make it worst for us is that because we are an island state we do not have any alternative areas to run to which makes us very vulnerable. If nothing is done to slow down global warming, I believe what Al Gore mentioned in the film The Inconvenient Truth, will come true. He said that "Future generations may well have occasion to ask themselves, "What were our parents thinking? Why didn't they wake up when they had a chance?" (Guggenheim, 2006).

Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve

References

Guggenheim, D. (Director). (2006). An Inconvenient Truth [Motion picture]. Hollywood, CA: Paramount Classics Home Video.

Henson, R (2006). The rough guide to climate change. New York: Rough Guides

Lomborg, B (2007). Cool it: The skeptical environment's guide to global warming. London: Marshall Cavendish.

United States Environment Protection Agency (2006, October 24). Climate change: What is it... Retrived March 7, 2008, from http://epa.gov/climatechange/kids/gw.html

Time Paragraph: Compare and contrast...

Land reclamation near Sentosa

Compare and contrast any two waste disposal schemes (e.g. zero waste and land filling, land filling and using incinerators or any other method you know) and decide which one might be more suitable for your country

In Singapore, there are currently two waste disposal schemes. One is by landfill, the other is by incineration. For landfilling reclamation and incinerating there is one obvious similar advantage. That is, these are the quickest and easiest ways to dispose of waste. Aside from that, landfilling for reclamation helps Singapore generate more land and incineration helps generate electricity from its turbine by the burning of waste. However, there are disadvantages to both schemes. In land filling for reclamation, for example, although it helps generate more land for Singapore, if the reclamation is not done properly, toxic waste may leak into the oceans harming marine life. As for disadvantage in incinerating, though it helps generate electricity, its pollution to the air outweighs it energy generation advantages. In conclusion, land filling would have more advantages or rather least harmful to the environment than incinerating, but an alternative must be implement because even though landfilling for reclamation maybe better than incineration, it is still harmful to the environment.

Paragraph on effect of climate change

Paragraph on effect of climate change

What are some potential negative effects that climate change could have on your country or world as a whole?

Climate change is a global phenomenon which is caused by the increase in greenhouse gases (GHGs) in our atmosphere. The increase in the greenhouse gases creates one major effect: a rise in global temperatures. And with the rise in global temperatures, ice at the poles melts, causing a rise in sea level. Also, our global weather pattern will change causing extreme weather changes such as an increase in rainfall or severe drought in some places. Singapore is an island state. Though we are not affected by earthquakes, typhoons, hurricanes and other natural disasters, we are not spared from the effects of climate change. Singapore is located close to the equator, with an average temperature of 27 degree Celsius, and because of that, most Singaporeans use air-conditioning to sleep better at night. But with the increase in global temperature, air conditioning will be used even more often, causing a surge in the electrical usage. Also, higher annual temperatures will lead to increased occurrences of heat stress and discomfort, particularly among the elderly, the sick and others without access to air-conditioning. From global warming, the weather pattern will also change causing unpredictable rainfall. This will cause problems for rationing of our water supply. Rising sea levels will cause erosion to areas around the coastal areas of East Coast Park. And because of the coastal erosion, Singapore will lose land in the process and will also lose some of its coastal reservoirs like Kanji reservoir. In addition, the rising sea level will also aggravate inland flooding because water will not be able to flow out into the sea no matter how good the draining systems are since Singapore is a small and a low lying island. In conclusion, climate change will have very big impact on Singapore for we are and island state. Because of that, we do not have any alternative areas to run to.

315 words

One of the effect of climate change is the change in weather pattern.

Nature has to suffer for our mistakes!!

Re: Saving Nature, But Only for Man

United as one,
earth protect us so that we can

protect her.

The views and opinions expressed in this post are strictly those of the author. The contents of this post have not been reviewed or approved by anyone.

I’ll say that I do not agree about the article based on one aspect – Compromising. The article mention about making the choices of man over caribou and preserving livelihood for 30,000 logging families over the spotted owl. I mean have he considered what would happen if we choose man over nature. This would create an imbalance eco system that would bite back at man someday. Just like excessive industry fishing, it has being reported that the marine life is unable to reproduce faster than it is losing. I strongly believe that humans are kind but because of differences that we become selfish and arrogant. In fact I think that if the world were to become a country fighting global warming maybe easier because the current problem for global warming is that developing countries wants to get better but developed countries wants to slow down their development be it economical reasons. Only if we are united as a world (nature and man) then we can compromise if not everyone would think like the article’s writer. Just because nature does talk back like humans does mean that they are any different.

Comparison and contrast

A term often used for people who are deeply concerned with the environment is “green.” Compare a “green” person’s attitude towards consumption with that of a person who is not “green”.

Ever since the issue of climate change emerged out some 20 years ago, the word “green” has been a hot word to use. The word “Green” is a term used in general, friendly to the environment. For products with the word “green”, it signifies that it does not cause harm to the environment or/and manufactured in a way that does not bring harm to the environment. As for people, the word “green” means people who are deeply concerned with the environment and their actions are often beneficial to the environment rather than bringing harm to the environment. The difference between a “green” person and a not “green” person is their attitude towards the environment. At home for example, a “green” person would not use air conditioning everyday and would only use it when necessary and even if he used it, he would set to a temperature of 25 degree Celsius and set timer. A not “green” person on the other hand would use as and when he like, so long as he can afford it. A “green” person would use environmentally friendly products like biodegradable detergents, energy saving light bulb, CFC free deodorant. All of which, environmentally friendly products, are more expensive than regular ones. A not “green” person would use any cheaper alternatives be it “green” or not. Another typical example would be during grocery shopping. A “green” person would bring his shopping bag to contain his stuff and if he needs to use plastic bag he would use it at a minimum but a not “green” person would use plastics bags and will not careless about. In conclusion, I feel that to be a "green" person generally requires you to pay extra for regular products and may sometimes brings you inconvenience but if we do it everyday it will become a habit and as time goes it'll be a norm. therefore I would say that the contrast between a “green” person and a not “green” person would be his attitude towards how much he could help lessen the environmentally damage. A “green” person would pay extra attention to his action but a not “green” person would do whichever way that is beneficial to him be it profitable or convenience.

When I meant be a "green" person, I didn't mean literally !!

Problem – Solution : Three Gorges Dam

The awsome Three Gorges Dam

Problem – Solution
Choose one recent “Engineering disaster” that has affected the environment in your/one country and explain how it could be avoided.

The Three Gorges Dam (长江三峡大坝)hailed as one of the engineering feats of the 20th century and the largest hydro-electric power station in the world is a Chinese hydroelectric dam that spans the Yangtze river in China. The Three Gorges Dam is able to produce a total of 22,500 megawatts of electricity which is 20 times more than the Hoover Dam in America. The dam is able to control floods down at the Yangtze River and help reduce flooding in important cities like Wuhan which suffered flooding in 1954 and 1998 killing over 30,000 people in total. But recently, engineers have admitted The Three Gorges Dam is a disaster in the making. Already, the quality of water in the higher banks of Yangtze River is falling slowly. This is due the preventing dispersal of pollutants caused by the dam. Pollutant such as algal blooms have risen progressively and soil erosion around the dam has increased, causing riverbank collapses and landslides. The dam is also causing a negative impact to the natural biodiversity around the surrounding river. Endangered wildlife species like the Yangtze dolphin and the Siberian Crane are all at risk due to the drastic change and destruction of their habitat. The government has since realize the problem and are placing preventive measures to prevent further deterioration. The government has invested heavily in programs designed to restore and conserve the ecology of the Three Gorges area in recent years, including 12 billion yuan spent on trying to harness geological disasters such as landslides. They have also closed or relocated 1,500 manufacturing ventures constructed more than 70 sewage disposal and waste treatment plants and resettled about 70,000 people from disaster-prone areas. I feel that the government could have done more studies and place more scenarios before engaging such enormous project. But better late than never, they have started in the preventive measure which is better than doing nothing.