dinosaur smuggling: By Lim Kay Ray

Summary
A Florida fossils dealer has admitted smuggling dinosaur bones into the US from Mongolia and China. The smuggler, Eric Prokopi, was charged a maximum of 17 years imprisonment when he is sentenced in April. He also admitted illegally importing a Chinese flying dinosaur, two oviraptors and a duckbilled creature known as a Saurolophus. After he was sentenced, the US officials returned the fossils to where they actually belonged.
Opinion
I think that Eric Prokopi should not steal these bones but actually hire archaeologists and historians to excavate the area, or dig and find these fossils himself. He sold a Tyrannosaurus Bataar, which was discovered seven years ago in the Gobi desert, at an auction for more than $1m. This money that he earns is not honest money but dishonest gains from stealing then smuggling fossils from other countries. 

S'pore's environmental issues in 2013 by Kai Yi

Summary: This article mainly talks about Singapore’s environmental issues for example, preparing for climate change, littering, preparing for Singapore to get “water independent”, etc. and measures that they will take to overcome these problems.

Opinion: One of the problems that Singapore faces as mentioned in the article is about littering. I think that in order for Singapore to maintain its reputation for being a garden city, the ministry should cultivate Singaporeans to have a strong sense of belonging to their home country, this will in turn motivate them in having a sense of responsibility in preserving a clean and safe environment for Singapore. In my opinion, I feel that getting people to do what they want to do for their country is much better than getting people to do what they have to do in the fear of getting punishments from the law.

Link: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1245083/1/.html

 

Delhi Gang-Rape by Zhi Gang

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-20765364

News Review:
Thousands of people staged peaceful protest in India's Capital Delhi, following the death of a woman who was gang-raped in the city. The 23-year old woman was savagely attacked and raped by a group of men inside a moving bus and her male friend is beaten up senselessly. Battered and beaten profusely, they were then dumped near an expressway in Delhi, where they were found by a passer-by. The woman, a paramedic student, who is on life support at a crowded city hospital was treated by doctors who were aghast by the extensive injuries. They said that this was the most grievous case of rape they have handled as it appears that a blunt object was used repeatedly by the attackers. However, she did not managed to survived from the specialist treatment in Singapore and died on early on Saturday in Mount Elizabeth Hospital.
Opinion:
I feel that India should change the law on the status on the woman. There has been many cases on mistreatment of women. Female foetuses were aborted and baby girls killed after birth leading to an appallingly skewed sex ratio. In the other hand, I am deeply moved by the change of reaction in India's Society. They feel that these should stop and punishment should be carried out for justice. Rape is also not regarded as the crime where the woman has to be blamed. I feel that this time India should take a blunt decision over the rape cases. Then only people don't dare to do such a thing. It would be a time to wake up and fight for justice in India.  

A story of a teen hero: By Lim Kay Ray

"Aaaah! Help! Somebody help me! Robbery!" cried Anna, a lady in her mid 20s.
"Another word from you and I'll slash this blade across your  pretty face. Now hand over the money and all your jewelry!" demanded the burly man, a medium-built man in his mid 30s, with a silver blade in his hand. Anna, now terrified of her face being disfigured, slowly took off her jewelry and took out her wallet from her handbag. Henry, a courageous boy, saw this scene and immediately informed the police, then running near the scene and shouted at the man to stall time. 
"Go away boy! Or she will be disfigured by my blade!" the burly man shouted across. Anna gestured to me to go away with tears rolling down her cheeks in fear. Soon, the sirens of the police car was heard then the man grabbed her jewelry and took flight. Policemen soon arrived at the scene and dashed toward the robber. A policewoman came to comfort Anna and another came to take my statement.

television blessing or a curse by demi tay

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Having a television for children is a blessing as letting children watch television programs create an educational environment for them to be in. There are educational programs such as Sesame Street that teaches spelling, reading, basic mathematics and literacy. Before they enter primary school they would have learned how to read. There are also children’s documentary, it provide scientific facts and live experiments for the children to see. There are also entertaining programs that will stop the children from mischief and control them to sit and enjoy the programs.

There could be disadvantages for young children. They may get addicted to watching television. If they watch television for too long it may worsen their eyesight or they maybe getting dementia in their old age. An example of TV drams they shouldn’t watch is adult drama, action pack (violence) and cartoons, all these have violence and inappropriate image. They may learn from them, thinking it is all right to do this in real life.The worst scenario is becoming violence during puberty.

eye scan Multiple Sclerosis by demi tay

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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-20836082
Summary:
A simple eye test may offer a fast and easy way to monitor patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) is a scan that measures the thickness of the lining at the back of the eye - the retina. It takes a few minutes per eye and can be performed in a doctor's surgery. The latest study tracked the patients' disease progression over a two-year period. Multiple sclerosis is an illness that affects the nerves in the brain and spinal cord causing problems with muscle movement, balance and vision. In MS, the protective sheath or layer around nerves, called myelin, comes under attack, which, in turn, leaves the nerves open to damage.
Usually after a decade or so, half of patients with this type of MS will develop secondary progressive disease where the symptoms get gradually worse and there are no or very few periods of remission. Another type of MS is primary progressive disease where symptoms get worse from the outset. There is no cure but treatments can help slow disease progression.
It can be difficult for doctors to monitor MS because it has a varied course and can be unpredictable. Experts suspect that this means the nerves here will show the earliest signs of MS damage. The study at Johns Hopkins found that people with MS relapses had much faster thinning of their retina than people with MS who had no relapses. So too did those whose level of disability worsened. Similarly, people with MS who had inflammatory lesions that were visible on brain scans also had faster retinal thinning than those without visible brain lesions.
Opinion: I think that having the scanning of eyes can check if the people have a faster retinal and will let the people know their chances of having problems with muscle movements, balance and vision. This check up with the brain scan can allow the doctor and the person to be more sure of them getting the disease or not so they will be more prepare and doctors can start to monitor them so to make sure they do not get the disease instead of knowing they have got disease when it had reached an incurable stage then they will be more heartbroken. But if they are prepare and have told his family and friends about themselves maybe getting the disease the family and friends by then will encourage them and thus they will not enter a depression stage when they got the disease. With them knowing the risk of getting the disease they will treasure their time have their families and friends and will be more careful with their diet.

A teen hero by demi tay

John is a very courageous boy who will fight for justice and help people who are in need. He is the apple of his mother’s eyes. His mother is very proud of him and will praise him to all her friends.

On a Saturday morning, his mother went out for shopping trip with her friends. Feeling bored at home he decided to go for a fishing trip.

Upon, reaching his destination he immediately unpacked all the stuff needed for fishing and walked towards the sea.

‘Help…. help!!’A voice shouted. John looked towards the sea and saw a boy struggling to stay up on the water. Without thinking he jumped into the sea to save the boy. By the time he reached, the boy was already unconscious. With his strong arms he grabbed the boy’s waist and pushed him up the surface. With all his strength he paddled towards the shore.

Despite being exhausted, he immediately gave the boy CPR upon reaching the shore. Soon after the boy started to cough out the water that he drank in .The boy look up and smiled at john, with a small whisper he thanked john.

Africa gets 'homegrown' smartphone

Summary:
A smartphone and tablet designed by Congolese entrepreneur Verone Mankou, are manufactured in China. The company devices run Google's Android software and will retail at $170 (£105) for the smartphone and $300 (£185) for the tablet. as an african he knows what an african need  and wish his company could be like Apple and Samsung huge in US and Asia respectively. The tablet offers wi-fi connectivity and four gigabytes of internal storage and the smartphone has rear and forward facing cameras and a 8.9cm screen. Some companies were accused of dishonesty as the company was criticised that the devices are already marketing product but name locally but their devices are no matching to other countries under different branding.

Opinion:
i think it is good that the african get to have smartphones, but those who persist that their devices are marketing product are just unresonable as they have proved that it is not a marketing product.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-20850778

Lake Ellsworth Antarctic drilling project called off By: Sherman Teo

Summary:

An ambitious mission to drill through 3km (1.8 miles) of Antarctic ice to a lake that has been sealed off for thousands of years has been cut short. They were unable to join the main hole to another hole that was to be used to recover drilling water. They were hoping to find hints of life from long ago, or even still surviving today. This failure in the drilling programme will come as a huge blow. The team is packing up its equipment and protecting it against the bitter Antarctic winter. It may be more than another season before the team can return to try again.

Opinion:

In my opinion, I think that what scientists are doing is that they are trying to research on new things that has never been touched for ages. I think that scientists should not start to research on that area because due to global warming, the ice caps are melting at an extremely fast pace. If they start to dig up more holes, it may lead to undesirable consequences which may then affect the rest of the world.

The Teen Hero by Zhi Gang

"Don't try to move or I'll shoot!" threatened the armed robber, directing his threat to everyone in the bank. With trembling hands, Noah opened the drawer behind the counter and took out wads of cash, placing them before the robber. She also discreetly pressed the silent alarm located below the counter. This would not produce any sound to alarm the robber but would instead distress the signal to be sent directly to the police.

Meanwhile, the robber, not content with the wads of cash he had taken and put into a black bag he had with him, demanded that Noah hand over more cash.

"O-Only the manager has the key to the vault," stammered Noah in a tone as soft and meek as a mouse. Realizing that it would be a risk to remain in the bank for too long and demand that the vault be opened, the robber grabbed the loot that he had and dashed for the main door. Unknown to him, following Noah's pressing of the alarm, the police had already arrived at the scene. Armed officers were hiding at a strategic positions outside the bank, waiting to ambush the robber...

Connecticut shooting by demi tay

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-20738998

summary:

The gunman, named by police as Adam Lanza, 20, shot and killed his mother Nancy Lanza at their home in Newtown, an affluent town of 27,000 people about 60 miles north-east of New York City. After killing his mother, Lanza apparently stole a number of her guns and drove her car five miles (8km) to the school, which he attended as a child.

The school has about 700 pupils aged between five and 10. He was carrying an assault rifle, thought to have been a Bushmaster AR-15-style rifle, a civilian version of the military's M-16. Police say this was the main weapon used during the shooting, though Lanza was also carrying two handguns loaded with high-capacity magazines. Visitors to the school have to be "buzzed in" by a member of staff. But at about 09:30, Lanza shot his way into the school, When the police arrived, they found the school's front windows were shattered. A school employee ran through the halls warning of a gunman on the loose, and someone switched on the intercom, alerting people in the building to the attack by letting them hear the mayhem in the school office. Teachers locked their doors and ordered children to huddle in a corner or hide in cupboards as shots echoed through the building.

They used different methods to calm their students. Some read stories while others pulled out crayons for the children draw.

Some of the teachers sat with their children holding teddies or comfort blankets in huddled silence while others whispered Christmas carols, not pausing when they heard screams or shots over the intercom. Authorities say the shooting only lasted a few minutes and victims were found in two rooms. Lanza apparently shot himself. The officers went from room to room removing surviving children and staff from classrooms.

They did not fire their weapons during the search. The schoolchildren were escorted hand-in-hand and were told the shut their eyes as they passed the principal's office, believed to be the scene of much of the carnage.

Opinion:

I think that they should improve the security of the schools to protect the children.one of the ways is by checking the visitor from head to toe making sure there is no dangerous devices before allowing them to enter the school. The government should control the selling of guns out to people as it will be very dangerous people buying should give a letter to the shop on why they want to purchase the guns and increasing the cost of the guns so fewer people will be buying. If they do not control, cases like in sandy hook elementary will happen innocent lives would be lost. Controlling the selling of guns can reduce crimes done by people, if not people will be all worried about lives being taken any time and would want to wear a bulletproof vest. In conclusions more people will be cautious wherever they are.

A Story about a teen hero

Adam was only 5 years-old thEn, when his mother suffered from cancer and died as there's no suitable donor for her as the cancer spread throughout her. Adam'S father thEn re-married another woman and that woman became his mother. When he was 10 years old his mother gave birth TO a girl and he had a sister. His new mother treated him as good as his mother, so when one day his mother and sisteR FELL ILL had failure in their body. His mother had kidney failure and his sister had heart failure. He decided to work after school to raise money to find a good doctor at a good hospital to save his family. he did it all the way till he was in secondary two and over heard his mother told TELL his father that they had not much time left. so he decided to sacrifice himself for them as he doesn't DIDNT want the same thing happen again. He WROTE write a death letter that when he died please ALLOWED THE DOCTORS TO use his organs to save his mother and sister.
Only until THE next morning when his father found out that he did not leave his room, he went in and check on him. It was than thry THEY found out he had commited suicide to save people he loveD. He was a hero that safe WHO SAVED more than one PERSON people. HIs family was sad and happy at the same time as they feel FELT proud of him being able to such a hero.

News Article-Violence in USA: By Lim Kay Ray

Summary: ????

Violence in USA by Kai Yi

Summary: Last Friday, the gunman, Adam Lanza aged 20, shot his mother at home before driving to school with 3 of his mother's guns. He forced his way into the school and killed 26: 20 children and 6 adults, in Sandy Hook Elementary School. He killed himself shortly after that. His motive of this killing spree is still unclear. This massacre is the second worst shooting in recent US history. Opinion: When i first heard about this news, i was totally shocked and deeply saddened by this. The gunman killed children as young as the age of five. I think that this is very cruel as 26 innocent lives were lost. Schools should be a safe place for children to learn and enjoy, and not for students to be frightened. According to the newspaper reports, the guns that shot the children and adults in the school were acquired lawfully and registered by the suspect's mother. There were have been many incidences of shooting happening in US nowadays, and many innocent lives were lost because of this. I think it is very dangerous; therefore, I feel that US should have stricter gun laws, to prevent tragedies of this to from happening again.

A story about a teen hero by Kai Yi

Water charged into her nostrils severing all oxygen supply from her lungs, as another gush of wave hit her. With all her might, she thrust her head upwards, desperately trying to gulp in the air. Her lungs were screaming out for air. “Help… help…” her voice trailed off as she sank under the water surface again. Her arms were flailing wildly in the air, desperately hoping to get someone’s attention. With every passing second, she was losing consciousness. She was going to lose her life!!! She was trembling with cold and fear in the deep waters, as beads of perspiration trickled down her forehead, her heart was hammering wildly against her chest. After a few long minutes, she thought with terror and anxiety, "What should I do? I do not think anybody would save me. It’s getting dark now and the waters here are so deep. The waves are strong too. I do not think anybody would risk their lives. What should I do?" She thought desperately.

Just as she was on the verge of giving up, a strong arm looped round her neck and secured her head well above water as the strong and well-built teenager helped her up shore. “Thank You, thank you so much young man, I thought nobody would risk their lives and save me in the raging waters… ” She thanked the teenager profusely as she went down into a peaceful darkness.

Newton school massacre: By Lim Kay Ray

Summary:
The gunman was a man, named in media reports as Adam Lanza. HE killed his mother then drove to the school and killed six adults, all women, with a rifle before taking his own life. Eight boys and twelve girls were also killed - all but four were aged below six. When the teachers heard the gunfire, they immediately locked the doors and ushered the children into closets in order to protect them.
Opinion:
I think the gunman must be unfit psychologically to kill his own mother and innocent women and children. These young children, some even aged below six, were innocent yet their lives were taken by this man. I think the school should take more security measures like planting a security check on any strangers or persons who are trying to enter the school to ensure the safety of the children entrusted to them by their parents. It was wise of the teachers to keep the children in the closets so the chance of them dying is reduced but it may be dangerous as the oxygen in the closet is limited.

Newtown school massacre BY JUN TIAN

Summary: On that fatal morning, after having gunned down his mother, the cruel gun man forced his way into an elementary school where TO INITIATE a bloody massacre was about to take place. A total of 8 boys, 12 girls and another 6 teachers were innocently murdered by the hands of this in-human gun man. After his utterly cruel act, he shot himself, ending his own life. Following this, tributes were made, and President Obama expressed that he is trying to take “meaningful actions” to prevent any similar cases from happening.
Opinion: When I first heard this devastating news, I was really disgusted to find put that another meaningless and cruel school massacre had TAKEN took place again. Innocent lives were taken away just because some guy decided to carry out a mass shooting in the school. I am really enraged to hear that something like that happenED. These kids were as young as six, and all of them had such a long future ahead of them. However, their life ended in this horrible massacre. I really think that the USA should reconsider their laws regarding guns. In fact, guns should be banned all together. Guns should be reserved only for military and police use. Normal citizenS should not have possession of guns. I first saw this news on twitter and people were all tweeting stuff like #prayfornewtown I am quite glad that everyone could express their GRIEF grieves and prayers for all the innocent victims. However, while expessing  our deepest regrets, clearly more has to be done to provide PREVENT more of these from happening. I  sincerely hope that more effort can be put into finding solutions to prevent more of such cruel act from happening again.

Gunman KIlls 26 in US school massacre BY RYAN

The recent killing spree in US school was reported. Twenty children some as young as five were kill by the identified suspect, Adam Lanza, who kill himself and some STAFF stuff of the school including his mother. As the gun law isn't strict enough that Adam Lanza was able to sneak the gun into the school and start killing people in two roomS.
Opinion: In my opinion the country should have a stricter gun law and the schools should do checks on the students and make sure they don't have guns with them. it could be of some reason that no ones know that make IT IS A MYSTERY WHY Adam Lanza killED people in his school even his own mother.

US School Massacre by Zhi Gang

News Review:
Last Friday, there was a report of a massacre in USA at a school in Connecticut. Around 20 children were left dead around the age of six and seven, according to an official list of the the dead. Six adults who were all women were killed by the gunman, name Adam Lanza in media reports. On the morning, Nancy Lanza was killed by Adam Lanza himself who later proceeded to the school at around 9.30am. At that time, Lanza forced his way into the school. The massacre took place in 2 rooms and only lasted for a few minutes before the gunman killed himself. The victims were killed by a high-powered rifle. The teachers were quick-witted and locked the doors while ordering students to huddle in  corner or hide in cupboards as shots echoed through the building. Among the victims, one of them was lucky to survived the ordeal as the bullets from the rifle were designed in a fashion that the energy is deposited in the tissue and stays in. The attack at Newtown is the second deadliest shooting attack at a US school or university, after the Virginia Tech killings of 2007, which left 32 people dead and many injured.
Opinion:
I think that USA should have controls over the guns. Although I feel that THE gun is a good source of protection for one's live, it is also a threat. There have been many reports in US on Deadly Mass Shootings for example the Columbine High School Massacre which took place in 1999 by 2 students who killed 13 students and injured 20 of them. Hence, I feel that there is a great need for the US government to have a control over the guns to prevent such Deadly Shootings from happening. These THIS will let the peoples' to be at ease and would not worry of ABOUT such Mass Shootings from happening. 

Violence in USA By : Sherman Teo

The recent mass massacre occurred in a school at Newtown, Connecticut. The gunman killed 20 children and six adults, one of which WHOM was his mother. The United States of America does not have a gun law which prevents them from carrying weapons such as guns freely through the country. This article states that the gunman bought two guns which WERE we being legally sold and registered under his mother’s name. The schools in the United States of America do not have a high security and people who carry weapons are allowed to enter the school. On the other hand, the schools in Singapore have higher a security and visitors need to get a visitor’s pass to be able to enter the school premises.
In my opinion, I believe that it is due to too much television’s and it is also due to the fact that children nowadays are spending too much time on games. This is mostly the influence of gaming because I believe that he wanted to have a feel of how it is like to kill someone in reality. I believe that it is also the televisions fault because dramas now are so realistic that people may believe that such an incident CAN really happen.

Light smoking 'doubles sudden heart death risk in women' By: Sherman Teo

Summary:Women who are light smokers double their chances of sudden death. Research showed that are light smokers were twice as likely to die of a sudden heart problem as to those who had never smoked. But people who are older it can be SHOW the first sign of coronary heart disease, where the heart's arteries become blocked by fatty deposits. This study tells women how important it is to stop smoking.
Opinion: In my opinion, I think that we should not smoke and even if we do, we should quit it. Smoking is harmful to our body in many ways such as heart disease and many other cancers. This makes it very deadly and WE should stop before it causeS OUR that body any more harm. This reseaerch RESEARCH is just to prove that we are inhaling poison and it is not good to the body.

Reservoirs can make local flooding worse by demi tay

Summary: The scientists found that rain patterns around bodies of water in Chile were much higher than in similar areas without them. Previous research in this field has focused on the impact of dams on local climates. There is evidence that standing bodies like reservoirs and lakes can alter rain patterns by increasing the amount of water that evaporates. Circulating air patterns in the atmosphere above the boundary between the water and the land and this can initiate thunderstorms and showers. The impact can be significant. One study showed that extreme precipitation increased by 4% per year after dams were built. Chile has a large variety of climates ranging from areas that get 0mm of annual rainfall to places that get more that 4,500mm. Installing water reservoir that will change things totally and that will lead to flooding. Engineers get fired when there's flooding because they didn't do a good design, but someone else installed a water reservoir and the climate changed The scientists found that the most intense rainfall was measured at weather stations located near water bodies, especially in drier climates.

Opinion: I think that instead of reservoirs, people should try to find another way of getting water, as with more water there would be more flooding leading to an increase of death. The impact will be greater in urban areas than rural areas. Otherwise, those places that are more prone to flooding should improve their defenses against floods. People of the country can also help by disposing the rubbish properly or building the drain deeper and having cleaners to clean the drain once in two weeks to allow the water to flow smoothly. In short, people can reduce flooding by putting some efforts together so by these efforts they can make a difference.

Disease in Jersey's squirrels causes concern BY KAIYI

By Kai Yi Summary: Researchers have found a disease in Jersey’s red squirrels which can cause a decline in their population. Researchers believed this disease could be caused by bad diet, or the development of the island resulting in the loss of the squirrel’s habitats.

Opinion: The root cause of the disease is partly due to human activities. If this situation prolongs, the squirrels may become an endangered species. Not only just the squirrels but many other populations of animals haVE been declining and the main cause of it is because of human activities, such as deforestation, burning of fossil fuels and preying animals for their skin, meat, tusks, etc. Thereby, I feel that we humans should save the animals and the Earth by doing simple acts in our daily life such as conserving resources and living in a green lifestyle. The simple acts of recycling bottles and using public transportation can decrease the need to destroy habitats for additional natural resources.

Birds use cigarette butts to line nest RYAN

Summary: The nicotine and other chemicals in the cigarettes discarded filters act as a natural pesticide that repels parasitic mites, and at the same time provide insulation for nest. Some birds are suggest by new evidence that they adapt the same behaviour of wild birds importing certain chemical-emitting plants to protect their nests from mite invasion but instead of certain chemical-emitting plants they used properties of tobacco as repellent. St Andrews University scientists studied nests of house sparrows and house finches that each contained, on average, about 10 used cigarette butts in Mexico City. The number of stubbed-out cigarettes incorporated into the nests ranged from none to as many as 48. Both species nest have significant less mites. To test the parasite-repelling effect, the researchers attached cellulose fibres from smoked and non-smoked filters to thermal traps placed in nests. The result shows fewer parasites were drawn to NESTS traps laced with nicotine-laden smoked butts. Birds could distinguish smoked and non-smoked butts from their scent, just as some birds that use the chemical compounds of plants as defence against parasites appear to rely on olfaction to collect those with effective chemicals.
Opinion: In my opinion I think the birds are smart, to choose something that can be found in urban area as mite repellent. They reused the used cigarettes that people DONT doesn’t want to build it in their nest.  

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-20607413

Should Handphone be used in class lessons?

Handphone should be used in class.  not the students own handphone but The school SHOULD PROVIDE HANDPHONES FOR US. If it’s the school’s phone there won’t be any games or music in it. With the current technology IN of handphoneS, teacherS could have AN easier way to teach the students, and students can do research with the phone. Since the phones is ARE not their fellow schoolmates or classmates, they can’t steal the phone as the school will HAVE has a way to find who the one who steal it.THE THIEF
Handphones should also not be used in class as students may do something that they shouldn’t be doing. Even if the phones belong to the school, the teacher may not know what the Students may do as the screens are small and there is no application to check ON THE STUDENTS what others phone are doing unlike computers at school computer labs. If the phone used was the students they may play games or do other things that are available On the phone and may be distracted in class.

News Article-Porcupine's prickly defence mystery solved: By Lim Kay Ray

Summary:
According to research, there are 30,000 quills on a North American porcupine. These quills are structured so that they effortlessly enter the flesh but do not leave as smoothly as the tip of these quills were found to reduce penetration force but maximise staying power. These animals are slow-moving nocturnal creatures which means that they do not run towards their predator.
Opinion:
Since these creatures are slow-moving nocturnal creatures and they do not run toward a predator, their quills must be easily detachable and this proves that they do not shoot their quills in the air. I think that the porcupines are creatures which are not hostile, AND DO NOT charging towards you if in danger as they are slow-moving nocturnal creatures.

cyberbullying by demitay

May has never encounterED bullying in her primary school life till she went to secondary school. At first, everything was smooth sailing WHEN she met new friends and teachers. After two months, she gets GOT to know two friends and they becAme best friends. The teacher assigned the class with projects involving presentation and PowerPoint slides on volcano eruption. May and her two friends got into a group and went to the library to work on the project after school.

Half way through, May realized that the school was about to close and decided to save HER PROJECT into her thumb drive when she realized it was at home. Both of her friends did not bring IT too. At last, they had decided to send into HER my Hotmail. If may DID do not reach home by 7pm she WOULD will get scolded by her mother. So not knowing THAT both of her friends are WERE behind her, she continueD to type her password.

The very next day, may openED her computer as usual. To her horror she saw many nasty comments about her. Realizing someone haD entered her account she remembered yesterday that she did not hide her passwords from her friends and confirmED that they were the ones behind this. As she scrollED down she saw her best friends sending messages mocking her and after this mEssages proved her instinct was right. Tears rolled down from her eyes and she started cutting herself with a knife AND blood oozed out from her arms. Not telling anyone SHE swallowED all the sorrow…

Should hand phones SHOULD be used in class by demitay

Hand phones are portable and WE can bring THEM anywhere we want and having them is a blessing. We can locate any of our family members any time we want and USE THEM as well FOR safety purposes. It is especially popular among teenagers as they tend to use hand phones to send messages.

Hand phones can BE useD for safety purposes as nowadays teenagers tend TO stay out late after school before going home. ThIS will cause the parents to be worried. With hand phones the teenagers can tell the parent where they have gone to and with whom they are with so if there is any problem that occurS the parents can give a call to the friends that their child IS with.

In school, the teacher can ask the students to use the internet to check information about the subject they are studying and do a project in class immediately. So the students will have a brief introduction about what they are about to learn and the class standard will rise after a period of time. With projects, students will be more interested in studying. This in turn will stop parents of the child FROM BEING worried and stressED out if their child does not have interest in studying.

But there are still so naughty students WHO that will use phones without permission of the teachers. They will use it to play gameS and also message other studentS DISTRACTING disrupting them. The solution is every start of the lesson the teachers should hold on to their hand phones first and return them when the lesson is over.

In short, I think that hand phones should be useD in class as I think that it can benefit the teachers, students and parents greatly

breath test for cancer by demi tay

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-20599238

summary:

The test, which looks for exhaled chemicals linked to tumor activity, was able to identify a majority of patients with the disease. If diagnosed and treated early, the chances of stopping cancer can be good, but there is often little or no outward sign of the disease until it has progressed significantly. Breath-tests have been suggested for a variety of diseases, including other types of cancer, TB and diabetes, but Dr. Claire Turner, a lecturer in analytical chemistry at the Open University, said that it was often difficult to interpret the cocktail of chemicals contained in every breath, as they could be influenced by what the patient had been eating, or even just by being ill or spending time in a hospital environment. But, the initial test identified the cancer patients with 85% accuracy, and although, when combined with a follow-up test, the overall result fell to 76%.

Opinion:

Although the accuracy of testing cancer overall results drops it can still help to test if the patients have cancer. So before the testing of cancer the patients should stop eating so as to not let the accuracy to drop. Testing of cancer should take place in the morning, as the patient did not interact with any food. This testing of cancer from the breath can let the patient know if they have cancer and thus will be more mentally prepared and also the curing of the cancer percentage will be higher.in short, more people will be able to survive from the disease.

Tophill Low Nature Reserve Otters Flooded Out Of Home by Zhi Gang D:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-humber-20640381
News Review:
There has been sighting of an otter family at the Yorkshire Water's Tophill Low water treatment works near Driffield, which is also a public nature reserve. The otter family was believed to be forced into the open by recent flooding. The cubs' mother was thought to have move her children to another holt due to the flooding of their old one after the heavy rain.
Opinion:
I feel that the government in YorkShire should do more in building more drains so that the drainage system would be better. Hence, rain water could be drained probably to prevent such flooding from happening. Such flooding not only will affect the habitat of the otters might might also result in their extinction. Otters are now endangered, if the government does not play a good role in preserving this little creatures, who will do it then?

Should Handphones Be Used In Class Lessons: Sherman Teo

Hand phones should be used in class because students are able to take down notes quicker and nowadays it has quicker access to the internet as compared to a computer. Hand phones fulfil simple tasks such as calling and messaging. They can even be used to do research when it is needed. Students are also able to take picture of the notes which teachers write on the board and that lowers the chance of the students losing his notes. Hand phones are a more interactive as compared to the usual copying down of notes.

Hand phones should not be used in class because some students do not have self control therefore, they will play with their gadgets instead of using them wisely. They may not even take notes during class but instead play games or even watch videos without the teachers noticing. This might affect other because they themselves want to do it too since the teacher does not notice at all. Students who cannot afford a phone will not be able to learn much therefore making them feel left out.

SHOULD HANDPHONES BE USED IN CLASS? By Lim Kay Ray

Mobile phones should be used in class as the students may take notes quicker and easier rather than hand-copying it onto a foolscap paper which they might lose. The students may also use the mobile phones to take picture of the whole slide on the screen or the teacher's notes on the board rather than continuing to copy onto the paper. This will save the teachers and the students a lot of time waiting for students who are slower to copy down the notes.

Mobile phones should not be used in class as the screens of the mobile phones are small and the teachers may not be able to see what the students are doing with their phones. Mobile phones may also be used for dishonest use when naughtier students may use it for playing games or messaging their friends in class rather than listening to the teacher. The diligent students, seeing the other students in class playing games, might be tempted to do so too. Students who cannot afford phones might succumb to temptation and steal the phone from a friend as he wishes to have one.

Should Mobile Phones Be Used In Class? by Zhi Gang :O

In the modern age, mobile phones are as ubiquitous among adults as they are in students. Not only do they fufil the simple function of being a simple phone, they are also cameras, organisers and music players all rolled into one. Thus, mobile phones also offer an avenue for pupils to flaunt their wealth. Nowadays, new models of mobile phones are released an an ever increasing rate. Student and even adults try to lay their hands on the latest and 'coolest' mobile phones. If students are allowed to being these phones to school, it is inevitable that some comparison will take place. Those who are less well-off will start feeling left out, and they might be pressured to find ways and means to acquire one for themselves. Hence, it is best to leave the mobile phone out of the school environment.

Mobile phones should be also banned in schools because they can be a magnet for crime. Those who are unable to acquire the latest phone for themselves might be tempted to steal from their friends. This will then cause a disruption to the lessons as the school will then have to conduct a search in order to nab the thief. Other than that, having a phone in class can pose as a serious distraction to the students. While schools which have allowed mobile phones in schools have been careful to say that usage in class is disallowed. It is a fact that many students are openly flouting this rule by surreptitiously messaging their friends on the sly. Even conscientious students will be tempted to do what is disallowed. Thus, it is better to remove the source of temptation than to continually battle with it.

NEWS ARTICLE- Prehistoric rhino reveals secrets: By Lim Kay Ray

Summary:
An analysis of a female woolly rhino showed that it was a herbivore which mainly grazes on cereal and was similar in size to today's Javan rhino. However, the cause of it to become was that it was slow to reproduce. It had a short stubby tail and ears and was likely driven to extinction in part due to its inability to wade through deeper blankets of snow. The rhino's thick skin and long fur helped it to adapt to the initial cold and dry climate.

Opinion:
I think that the woolly rhinos became extinct because of its inability to reproduce quickly. It only could give birth to a one, or occasionally two calves as its udder has only two nipples. As it has short legs and a considerably heavy body weight, it will have difficulty to tackle the deep snow. Once the snow reaches these animals' bellies, they will become almost helpless. This is an important factor that caused the woolly rhinos to become extinct. The climate warming causes these thick layers of snow to melt and increasingly pitted with hollows and boggy banks, forming natural traps which the rhinos might have found impassable.

A story about cyberbullying ~ JUNTIAN

“Bzzz……Bzzz….” Zhi Wei’s phone started vibrating. Picking up his phone, he received a notification. The class bully John had just sent him an image. He knew something bad was happening immediately. Unlocking his phone immediately, what greeted him was the greatest horror of his life. It was a screenshot of a Facebook post with a caption that read: "PEDOPHILE OF THE CENTURY. RUN WHEN U MEET HIM." Below, was a photo of him entering the handicaped toilet with his 2 year-old female cousin. He stared at the photo, completely shocked and speechless.

 He remembered that day they were at the mall and somehow they were separated. Then his cousin suddenly needed the toilet urgently. He was helpless and their parents were not anywhere nearby. His cousin was breaking into tears any time. Finally he made the decision of using the handicap toilet. Little did he know his act of helping his younger cousin would turn out like that.

China Bus Drivers Given Bail After Strike Done by: JUNTIAN

Source:  Summary:

The first labor strike to surface in 26 years, the four Chinese immigrant bus drivers accused of inciting have been granted bail in a case that highlighted growing social friction caused by an influx of foreign labor.Three of the men who appeared in court on Thursday were allowed a bail of $10,000 . A fourth driver faces an additional charge of making an online post in Mandarin, was given a bail of S$20,000.The four drivers and the fifth already in jail were among 171 Chinese bus drivers of a state transport company who went on strike in protest at being paid nearly a quarter less than their Malaysian colleagues. The labor action disrupted about 5 percent of the city-state’s bus services
 Opinion: (pls write opinion eg "I feel that this strike could have been avoided.." and not feelings - sad, terrified..)

I felt terrified when I first heard the news that there had been a strike in Singapore. Fortunately, the issue was resolved almost immediately. I feel glad that Singapore’s police force is so efficient and are there to help us solve our problems. However, I am rather sad that our streak of not having any strikes for 26 consecutive years have been broken because of this incident. 

Should handphones be used in class lessons? ~JunTian

The question of whether the use of handphones in class lessons should be encouraged has been a hot topic of discussion among both teachers and students. Many feel that with the rapid improvements technology have brought about, it is now time for a change in the way teaching in classrooms are conducted. However, I am on the side of those who stand for the traditional pen-and-paper methods.

Whilst it is true that the use of handphones in class can allow students to go online and search for information they need immediately, this may not be exactly the best way to learn. For a start, information online is not a hundred percent credible. This means that students may not be learning the right things. Next, having a handphone in front of them is one of the greatest temptations a student can have in class. The urge to reply a message, the desire to go online to update their Facebook status  or just send a tweet, or play multiplayer games with their classmates is always there. The list goes on, and it is plain to see that the temptations may cause students to lose focus and no longer have interest in their lessons. 

Should handphones be used in class lessons? By Kai Yi
In my opinion, handphones should be used in class lessons, as it poses a great help to our education and also minimizes the loss of time in lessons. Nowadays as Science technology has advanced quite rapidly, I think that many teachers will want to organize lessons including the use of the internet as students will be more interested and will be able to grasp the topics that are being taught. However, the use of computer labs brings many disadvantages thus thereby deterring teachers to do so. Firstly, teachers have to get the students to move from their classrooms to the computer lab. Secondly, the teacher also has to keep the class quiet when they there. As a result, time will be lost and most of the teachers will not have enough time to complete their lessons. Most schools only have a limited number of computer labs but many teachers who want to book the computer labs, as a result, I feel that these are the reasons,  that's why most teachers seldom bring their students to the computer lab.

In my opinion, since surfing the internet in class lessons brings many advantages to learning, adding to the fact that most students have smartphones, I feel that so handphones should be allowed in class lessons so students could complete the tasks given by their teachers by using their phones to surf the internet. Those students who do not have a smartphone could share with others. Furthermore, using handphones in class is very convenient and lesser time will be lost too. Many teachers may fear the fact that many students would use their phones to play games and listen to music, etc, instead of surfing the internet to search for information to complete their tasks. Actually, I think that this could be solved, the teachers could first give a stern warning that the student’s phone would be confiscated if he/she is caught using their phones on other irrelevant websites and the teacher could also walk around the classroom to deter the students from doing so.  (no advice)                                             

Antarctic marine wildlife is under threat: By Sherman Teo

Summary:

Marine snails around Antarctica are being affected by the ocean’s acid. A team of researchers found that the snails' shells are being corroded. Experts say the findings are significant for predicting the future impact of ocean’s marine life. The marine snails are a major grazer of phytoplankton and they are prey to a number of higher predators. Ocean acidification is a result of burning fossil fuels. This occurs when winds push cold layers of deeper seawater from around 1,000m towards the surface layers.

Opinion:

In my opinion, I think that this is due to global warming. Global warming is the rise in the average temperature of Earth's atmosphere and oceans. Earth's surface temperature has increased by about 0.8 degrees Celsius .The global warming which is taking place is causing harm not only to us but to the marine life too. We depend on the marine life as much as we depend on others. The marine animals will not be able to survive and soon become extinct as they have no more food to feed on.

 

Energy Bill HouseHold To Fund News Review by Zhi Gang :P

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-20451189
News Review:
The government in UK, has come to the decision to reduce the emissions of carbon foot print by going towards the development of low-carbon electricity generation. For this solution to happen, all the families have to pay a heavy price for such a solution. All families have to pay at least an estimated £20 next year to fund clean energy investment, rising to £95 by 2020. Energy companies will get £7.6bn from this to invest in low-carbon power. However, there is no target for the amount of carbon emissions by 2030 and further longer terms emission will be discussed by 2016.
 Opinion: I feel that although this is a good solution to reduce the carbon footprint which will also reduce the rate of global warming. However, the government needs to think more about the poorer families. Having to give more money a year means that the poorer family have to work harder not only to feed their own families but also pay the electricity bills and lastly the money that would be used for clean energy investment. Thus, this would increase the load of poorer families. Hence, this whole think might not be a good idea afterall.

Sea-level rise from polar ice melt : By Lim Kay Ray

Summary:
Research has shown that the melting of polar icecaps has added 11mm to the sea-level over the past two decades and this contributed to one-fifth of the global sea-level rise since 1992. The total rate of melting from all the icecaps has increased over the past 20 years with Greenland losing five times as compared to now from 1992.
Opinion:
I think that if the polar icecaps are going to continue melting at this rate, the polar animals will not be able to survive and soon be extinct as they cannot rest on the ice. This problem is because of global warming and the continual increase in temperature on Earth. This will cause the sea-level to rise and the polar animals will soon die because they will lose their habitat.

A STORY ABOUT CYBERBULLYING: By Lim Kay Ray

Jimmy was always the top student in his studies and his classmates were always jealous of him. One day, he found a piece of paper under his desk in a spelling test and decided to take a look at it. Surprisingly, it was the answers for the test! His classmates saw this and started to accuse him as a cheater. They even posted mean Facebook messages about the incident.(show cyberbullying)
"I can't take this anymore! They keep saying I'm a cheater just because I found that piece of paper!" Jimmy uttered to himself. "The teacher believed me and decided to drop the case as it wasn't mine! Why can't they just stop spreading these rumours! " Jimmy decided to tell this to his parents and let them handle this case. His parents decided to take this matter to the school principal and let the school handle this problem...

Ice Age warmth wiped out lemmings, study finds

Summary:
Each extinction was followed by a re-colonisation of genetically different lemmings, according to the study. It investigated how Europe's small mammals fared during the era when large numbers  of land animals became extinct.When researches went to research they found that not the same gentically lemmings were present possibly from populations in eastern Europe or Russia. The team focused on lemmings as indicators of what may have happened to other land mammal populations during the last Ice Age.

Opinion:
Because of human activities causes changes in environment animal become extinct. Researches should research as to what happen to the land animal during ice age and how are they going to prevent animal from being extinct.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/20468224

Story about cyberbullying by Ryan

 

Adam was a boy from a normal family just that he was always being cyber bullied. He was often receiving messages like he come from a smelly family, he is just a smelly animal and coward. His classmate also post pictures of him in dirty area, him in a pig house. He wanted to prove to his classmate that he isn’t what they say he is, so he bath every two hour, he wanted to prove he wasn’t a coward so he went to punch anybody who he see and doesn’t like.  When the school reports his action to his parent, his parent didn’t really care as they didn’t bother with his life. He continues for a few months, and his classmate start to post things like saying he’s crazy on social network.

One day he decided to end his misery by committing suicide, he posted on all social network that he is going to kill himself by jumping down from his house which is the highest floor and said that those who don’t believe him could come and watch. Soon most of his classmate gathered and his classmate encourage him to jump as they think he doesn’t dare to jump, so Adam finally jump out of the window from his house.

Antarctic marine wildlife is under threat, study find

News review: done by Kai Yi

Summary: Scientists have found that marine snails in seas around Antarctica are being affected due to ocean acidification. Ocean acidification is a result of additional carbon dioxide being absorbed by the waters because of the burning of fossil fuels. It has led to snails' shells being corroded. Marine snails are an important link in the oceanic food chain. Hence if this situation prolongs they will make a great impact to other parts of the food web of the ocean life.

Opinion: In my opinion, I feel that the root cause of the marine snails’ shells being corroded is mainly due to human’s activities. The burning of fossil fuels and deforestation leads to the ocean waters absorbing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere resulting in ocean acidification. If this situation prolongs, there would be an increase in the harmful effects of global warming and the marine life would also be greatly affected. I think that since Science technology is so advanced nowadays, man should use it to invent methods that would help the to reduce the negative impacts of global warming and save Mother Earth.