Article Review 6- Study Links Air Pollution to Premature Births

Link: http://www.enn.com/top_stories/article/22284

Summary: A study by the University of California shows that women who live in areas with high amounts of pollutants have up to a 25% higher chance to have a premature baby as compared to women who live in areas with little or no pollution. The researchers were careful to exempt factors which could have disrupted the study, such as alcohol ingestion and smoking. This study shows that pregnant women have yet another potential disaster to worry about, other than the other dangers of air pollution. The costs and benefits of taking action to reduce air pollution must be weighed again. Perhaps this time, the balance will tip to the right side.

Comment: Air pollution can pose all kinds of dangers to mankind: skin rash, throat irritation, headache, nausea, dizziness, asthma, chronic bronchitis, kidney damage, nervous system damage, cancer. And to this ever-growing list can now be added the horrifying threat of premature birth. Premature birth can cause various problems, such as increased risk of medical problems and a range of other complications, from cardiovascular to neurological. A child’s life could be ruined before it could truly begin. Such injustice should not be tolerated by humans; it is our duty to stop it.

Many argue about matters like euthanasia and abortion. They take firm stands that human life should be valued at all costs. This they do, even though there is only so much they understand about the processes. Why talk of such matters, when there are dangers right in front of our noses? Dangers everyone can help to prevent, and dangers everyone helps to increase; they are so lethal, yet none seem concerned. Air pollution is no new enemy to mankind. It has persisted through the tests of time, and continues to haunt us today. I have already stated how deadly a foe it can be; yet it is a foe that is easy to take down, for it is a terror that we have constructed.

Indeed, air pollution stems from human beings. It is our intrusion upon the natural world we were gifted that gave birth to this monster. Cars and factories release so many harmful gases into the air every day that cities seem to be engulfed in fog day in, day out. Yet what we have created we can destroy. However, it is often said that bad things are easier to create than to remove, and so it goes in this example. The difficulty is not so much in removing the pollutants, but in convincing the people to play their part in this extermination. For air pollution will continue to thrive unless everyone in the world does their utmost to prevent contamination of the environment.

People must understand that it is their intervention of nature that caused all the problems in the first place. Thus they will find it easier to work to make amends. Problems caused by air pollution have been brought upon by ourselves, and it is up to us to change that. After all, the problem we created is killing only ourselves. This is the price of technology and the life many of us are able to enjoy today. People have become so addicted to it that they are not willing to give it up without a fight. They stall for time, maintaining that they are trying to make technology less harmful to the environment. This is a plausible solution, and perhaps one that could satisfy all- if it worked quickly enough. For every day we stall is another day in which the threat of air pollution looms ever larger. Every extra minute we take increases the chance that one of us will be struck down by a tendril shooting out from the powerful monstrosity that we let loose. Every second we wait, our surroundings get destroyed, nature gets depleted. Every moment we fail to act, we take a step closer to total annihilation.

(500 words)

Article Review 5- Sleep and Teenagers

Link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A633098

Summary of Article: This article illustrates the effect of sleep on teenagers. Lack of motivation and wild swings of emotion are attributed to a teenager’s lack of sleep. In fact, lack of sleep could even cause mental lapses, making teenagers more prone to accidents. The article goes on to elaborate on how the lack of sleep also causes teenagers to expend more energy and effort to accomplish a given task. Depression and laziness are also obvious repercussions of this. The research shows all of this and more, and explains clearly the reasons why these problems arise and how the situation could be reversed.

Comment: What struck me mere moments after I had finished reading this article was its astonishing relevance to my life. Such was the parallel that I was able to relate what I learned with what I had experienced with no effort or difficulty whatsoever. Needless to say, (having experienced some of the effects cited both first-hand and second-hand) I wholeheartedly give this article the nod; arguing that lack of sleep is not an issue regarding teenagers would be very futile indeed.

A teenager’s life is hectic; at least from my experience. The Raffles Program introduced the first elements of what was to come, as we were bombarded by tests every week and dizzying amounts of homework. Add to that the demanding hours of CCA and you are left with a teenager who needs to sleep late at night even if he does not complete all of his homework early or do revision. Enter an industrious student who strives for excellence. This coupled with the advent of Secondary Three life with so many more subjects than the year before, and what remains is a very stressed teenager who needs to burn midnight oil at least 5 days a week. Note that these scenarios do not include playing time or resting time, either. The worst thing about these scenarios is that they are realistic. As a matter of fact, I know of more than one person in my class who leads such a lifestyle.

Having thus established that lack of sleep is indeed a major problem that teenagers today encounter, I must also mention that many of the effects of this are also apparent. Not least of these is the constant mood swings and motivation variations that teenagers undergo. It is not uncommon to be talking casually to a friend one instant, and to be yelling in exasperation the next. Another frequent repercussion of lack of sleep is mind lapses. I have often heard tales from my friends of how they suddenly realize that they did not know what was going on during lesson even though they thought they were listening. In this way, students are unable to thoroughly grasp what is being taught in class.

Reasons for teenagers sleeping late have been suggested, such as the circadian rhythms (in article). A suggested solution to this problem is starting school later. It is said that this will allow students to rest better, and has been backed up by researchers. However, it is my belief that students should be given less work to do as well. It has been said that the amount of sleep a teenager should get every day is 9 hours. If asked the average number of hours of sleep a Rafflesian teenager gets, I believe 6 would be an appropriate estimate. Lack of sleep drastically reduces the quality of work of teenagers, and also undermines whatever education systems that are in place because the students will be hard-pressed to adhere to them. Therefore, it is my conviction that lack of sleep is a huge barrier to a teenager’s success in life, and I maintain that measures must be taken to change this situation.

I shall end off with a particular phrase from the article which caught my eye:

Technology has enabled us to travel faster, communicate faster and prepare food faster, but no one has discovered a way to sleep faster.

(500 words)

Links to related websites:

1.http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?sec=health&res=9A06EED6153EF936A35752C1A9649C8B63

2. www.kidshealth.org/teen/your_body/take_care/how_much_sleep.html

3. www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2006/03/sleep_teens.html

4. www.cbc.ca/health/story/2006/03/28/teen-sleep-20060328.html

5.http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/education/2002894011_sleepy28.html

Article Review 4- Talented Pulpils Get Bigger Chance At Direct Entry Into Secondary 1

Link: http://enewslink.asia1.com.sg/brsweb/read_6.brsw?this=result&QDT=1&QFLST=HD%3AHG%3APD&DB=BT%3AST%4005-07&QSTR=%28%28education%29%29.HG.&DTSTR=%28%28PD+%3E=+20051216%29+and+%28PD+%3C=+20070518%29%29&PSZ=10&MAXL=200&SUMY=1&HLT=0&LSTN=0&ID=000021803@ST07
Summary of Article: More schools are now offering Direct School Admission and pupils talented in field such as sports or the arts now have an increased chance of getting into secondary schools through this system. The DSA system was introduced three years ago in order to provide schools with more flexibility. Students identified to have extraordinary talents or skills undergo a series of thorough examination before being admitted regardless of the PSLE score. Many students who have been thus admitted into schools are now thriving in their respective fields of expertise. Moreover, they seem to be able to keep up with the other pupils in their midst.

Comment:
I believe that the introduction of DSA was a very good move that will certainly aid the development of many talented individuals. In the article, it is mentioned that DSA allows schools to gain more flexibility, and this is very true indeed. Schools are now able to be more all-rounded and thus able to compete harder for championships. Thus, schools are not only able to enhance areas they are already strong in; they can also complement their weaker areas with fresh talent.

However, education has been and remains a constant concern when students are taken in through DSA. It could be true that they are talented and special, but it would be meaningless if they were put into a school which offers a level of education so high that the directly admitted students would not learn anything.

There are various reasons for students taken in through DSA not performing in academics. One of these is simply intelligence. DSA students are not required to meet the PSLE examination expectation for the school they join. Therefore, there is a chance that they could fall behind during lessons because their classmates would be capable of learning at a quicker pace than them.

Commitment is another reason for directly admitted students performing poorly in studies. Since they are brought in for their specific talent (e.g. sport, arts, etc), they may believe that they are not required to study in the school. After all, they may believe that the school wishes to nurture their skills rather than improve their grades.

Many students admitted through DSA are also given responsibilities and have expectations heaped upon them early. They are also expected to practice their trade often in order to improve it to perfection. Thus, not only is a faster rate of progress expected, DSA students are also required to serve as examples for the other students. Hence, they are involved in their field of expertise, very early, much earlier than a usual student would be.

However, I believe that if directly admitted students understand the importance of education, they will put in that extra bit of effort and desire that is required to allow them to do well in their studies as well. Despite what area they are talented in, they must comprehend that without education, they cannot possible get anywhere. The higher you get in the echelons of education, the higher your chances of getting a job and future of your choice. Thus, education is something that must be taken seriously and given attention to.

As testimony to this, there are students present who can balance their commitments and their studies such that both benefit. I know of many people, some of them my friends in my school, who entered through DSA but are still excelling in studies. It is possible to understand that while DSA students could be left behind in academics, they could also be swept along with the normal students, taking their intelligence to a new level. This illustrates the potential genius of DSA, not only could it help students nurture their talents, it could also help them improve in academics, thus transfusing two essential parts of life to form a balanced human being.
(499 words)

Article Review 3- Antarctic 'Treasure Trove' Found

Link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6661987.stm

Summary of Article:

Research expeditions have recently been conducted as part of the Andeep (Antarctic benthic deep-sea biodiversity) project. As the name implies, it involved an international team of people diving at the Antarctic in an attempt to shine light on the dark realm of ignorance that has engulfed this region. The result of the research was astonishing: the area was teeming with life forms, with more than a thousand different species of marine life discovered, many of which were previously unknown. For years, scientists harboured the thought that Antarctic waters were too hostile and would contain little biodiversity; but these were shattered by this latest development.


Comment:

Firstly, I must mention that I was absolutely stunned when I first read this article. I, too, had believed that there was little, if any at all, chance of such diverse life being present in the seas of Antarctica. I am sure that many others will surely experience the same feelings when they read this article for the first time. Yet, it illustrates yet another misconception of mankind, and how much we really know about our world.

There is little doubt that man remains ignorant to much of the world around him. There is only so much we have learned so far about the Earth and the creatures that inhabit it. However, there is no denying that we have tried. This article is testimony to the fact that even though we still have much to learn, humans are still making a Herculean effort to brave the harsh conditions that can be imposed upon them to unlock, albeit slowly, the maze of eternal secrets that is the Earth.

Humans have managed to map the whole world, and have discovered millions of different species of life. This in itself is praiseworthy, tribute to the curiosity and desire for knowledge that are one with every human being. The momentum with which humans are making every new discovery, the speed with which they are increasing their knowledge, is simply amazing.

Key to this is the humans’ unique ability to use past experiences and discoveries to derive what could happen in the future. This skill could be either a blessing or our bane. The ability to foresee the future could certainly aid us in our journey for knowledge, for every discovery we make could lead to the formation of numerous theories about other things which would greatly simplify matters.

However, it could hinder humans as well. If any one part of our prior knowledge is flawed, it could lead to the creation of a thousand mistakes. Using this example, many people had always assumed that Antarctic waters would not provide a very hospitable environment for life. However, this has been proven wrong.

Thus, the world as we know it today may, in reality, not be true at all. For all we know about the earth is based on observation (induction) and derivation. We have no way of knowing that what happens today will happen tomorrow. In the same way, it would be impossible to tell if what was found yesterday could apply to the next day. So what of our knowledge is true? What are we taking for granted that may actually be false? These are questions that will haunt mankind for eternity.

Hence, humans are on a quest for truth. Nothing we see, nothing we know, may be true. Yet, undoubtedly, humans are on the right track, as this article shows. A long-lasting misconception of humans has just been corrected, and one could wonder how many misconceptions we already harbour that need to be rectified. Knowledge without truth is valueless. However, I believe that with the progress we are making, not only will our knowledge expand; we will also get a better idea of what around us is true and what is not.
(498 words)

Article Review 2- School Closed After Arson Attack

Link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/oxfordshire/6407595.stm

Summary of Article:
Longfields County Primary School in England was closed after three classrooms and the roof were severely damaged by fire. Fortunately, no one was injured. However, two teenagers were arrested on suspicion of arson.

News such as this is increasingly becoming common. Teenagers of today seem to be engaging themselves in all sorts of wild, reckless activities that often land others, if not themselves, in danger. This incident that occurred in England serves as proof to this.

Arson, vandalism, assault, drink driving, and many other crimes are often linked with teenagers. There has to be a reason for this. Being a teenager myself, perhaps I could understand how other teenagers feel. Most teenagers tend to feel detached from life. They simply do not care about what they do or whether their actions could have unpleasant consequences or repercussions. Also, teenagers often feel bored, and perhaps the above-mentioned crimes are ways in which they try and do something exciting.

These are believed to be associated with the major changes that take place in the human’s body during the teenage years of thirteen to nineteen. Although I may understand how these teenagers feel, I believe that they cannot be forgiven for their actions. Yes, the teenage years probably make people more volatile, but do we see all teenagers committing crimes? This shows that the teenager’s actions are also influenced by his character. Teenagers with strong character are likely to be more able to keep control of their behaviour.

On more occasions than one, I have been left gaping open-mouthed, feeling both baffled and infuriated by the stupidity of teenagers when they do absolutely unreasonable things. One example of this was when I read a newspaper article a few years ago of two teenagers assaulting their teacher for failing them.

It is during the teenage years that a person’s future is moulded. Your actions when you are a teenager will decide what sort of life you will live. The teenage period is the transition between childhood and adulthood. This is why it is essential to build a strong character and keep well away from trouble when you are a teenager.

Studies have proven that high percentages of teenagers who are arrested grow up into criminals. As teenagers, we must try and avoid making any major mistakes at all. Although every mistake made is a learning opportunity, during the teenage years, it may be too late to learn from a mistake. In order to make the world a much better place to live in, the crime rate needs to decrease. And in order for this to happen, teenagers, major contributors to it, need to change. Self-control is a skill that teenagers need to master so that they can keep out of trouble. We can all do our part by helping teenagers who lack this talent, either directly or by setting an example. Hopefully, this issue regarding teenagers will soon cease to be an issue altogether.
(490 words)