The Star Online: Citizen's Blog (5th Batch)
These are the 5th batch of posts I submitted to The Star Online's Citizen's Blog. Returned to blogging there. Grab a look, have a nice day!
Title: More than just 2 cents: A lesson to be learnt. (Published)
Content:
The news is there, the news is here, news is really everywhere. Instead of bickering over the internet with one another or merely critisizing domestic and global happenings at the local watering hole, why don't we take a moment to consider what we can learn from all these events. Better yet figure out a way to solve, prevent or eliminate whatever that ails our home, Earth, totally.
Everyday we read about or watch about pollution, wars, hunger, domestic and international strife, etc, the list goes on. However, do you not realize that these are the same problems that have plagued us for decades?
Granted some problems can't plausibly be solved by a single individual, but with enough people collectively putting our hearts, minds and effort into a task, anything is possible! Simple solutions have been suggested over the years, to certain problems, that can be executed by us on the individual level. Take for example the problem of pollution. A solution many times heard, carpooling. When we carpool, not only do we reduce the number of smog-emitting vehicles on the road, the use of fossil fuels reduces as well. That's killing 2 birds with 1 stone.
Another is holding monthly neighbourhood clean-ups, or also known as gotong-royong in our local community. Not only will this ensure a cleaner, safer and healthier environment to live in, it will also foster better family and neighbourhood ties as everyone joins together in this relationship bonding activity.
Furthermore, a big pat on the back for the organization of family runs, charity runs, marathons and so on. These events double-up as family togetherness time as well as encourage the society to be more active and exercise.
Those that were just suggested are merely actions that we can take and make happen. Add them to others, like donating blood, neighbourhood watch, and partake in charity for example, there are many things that we can do to make the world that we live in a better place than before.
A little goes a long way towards learning the lessons to be learnt.
Title: Treasures of the sea turned dinner dish. (Published)
Content:
It is totally disheartening to read in the papers about the sale of turtles by traders, be it baby turtles or the eggs. How cold-hearted can a person be to even consider cooking turtles as a dish at the dinner table. Those tiny helpless creatures already have to contend with the natural predators for survival in the wild. But when now humankind start dining on them, the turtle species are being pushed to extinction!
Aren't turtles supposed to be a protected species? Even though it is reported that traders supposedly now only sell imported eggs, imported ones are still turtles eggs by any other name. Turtles belong in the wild and there they should be, not in a frying pan. Eating turtles makes it no different from devouring other wild animals, like the Civet cat which supposedly resulted in the 2003 SARS outbreak.
That should be a sign that some things are just not meant to be eaten. The turtle, a national symbol that will soon only be seen on commemorative coins and stamps. So think of the innocent lives within each turtle egg the next time you consider buying and eating them.
Like the saying: When the buying stops, the killing can too.
Title: Big Brother is watching... for a good cause. (Published)
Content:
Upon reading about the go-ahead for the Automated Enforcement System (AES), it is a commendable move by the Transport Ministry and the Cabinet. The potential benefits posed by the implementation of such a system truly outweighs any bad points it might have. The death toll from road accidents is frighteningly alarming. Therefore such a move to curb and stem the fatality rate from further increasing is absolutely most welcome by the public.
The AES should complement nicely with the community service reminders over the media regarding road safety. In our stressful daily grind, we must not forget our own safety as well as others we put at risk by speeding and performing reckless road maneuvers. Remember the saying: Slow and steady wins the race.
Based on the successful implementation of the AES in other countries, the statistics showed very encouraging results. A 30% to 40% decrease of accident and fatality rates is nothing to be laughed about. Based on the last year's total road deaths, such a decrease could amount to between 1,800 to 2,500 lives saved!
Big Brother is watching, but this time for a good cause. As usual when a new electronically based system is put in place, there are bound to be glitches. However here's to hoping that this system works out as expected, for safer and accident-free motoring in the future.
Title: Good cop/Bad cop. (Published)
Content:
In light of the recent uproar over the meager pay of our law enforcement officers, this article found when browsing through the papers really showcases the severity of the situation: "Cop moonlights as thief".
As the article mentioned, moonlighting is not uncommon. To cope with the live-by-the-paycheck way, taking a part-time job is a method to better support the family at home by finding more sources of income. However when a policeman turns into a thief, society must stop and seriously look into this matter. The low pay received by the men in uniform has pushed them to the extent of breaking the law they swore to uphold!
The particular policeman have been at this for the past year, committing more than 40 snatch cases. Shocking as it is, the consequences are real. It is only human nature to push back when backed into a corner. Do we want this to be a norm of society? Who are we to trust if by day a good cop, then by night a bad criminal?
This really is a scary thought. Something must be done to curb such a situation from occuring in the future. So help alleviate our police forces' standard of living, remove the need to moonlight. Setting up legal avenues of attaining side-income would be a welcome solution to such a situation.
Furthermore, providing special education scholarship to their children is a way to lift some weight off their shoulders. Giving them peace of mind would in turn allow the cops to better focus on keeping our neighbourhoods safe, sound and secure.
Title: Cooperate to breathe easy.
Content:
Year in and year out we are dogged by the haze problem. The biggest contributor to the air pollution in this region are the forest fires in Indonesia. As caring neighbour countries, other members of ASEAN should pitch in help to curb this yearly event. Even airplane flights have been cancelled in the state of Kuching where visibility level in the state capital dropped to 500m!
Vantage points of help can be from monetary, technology and/or manpower. Whatever donations can be given to facilitate this fight against fire. With the added monetary strength, the latest technology in dousing the fires can be obtained. The improved technological advantage would reduce the need more massive amounts of manpower that currently needed.
As right now, sending firemen to help put out the fires are the easiest, hence most common, form of help being sent. As usual, there's always a danger when it comes to disasters like this. Countries are putting their fellow firemen at risk. Well-experience personnel should be given priority to be sent.
Besides those, an awareness campaign can be help to educate the farmers that there are other more environmental-friendly methods to renourish the land and clear crops.
An age-old problem that can be reasonably overcome. Think of the future generation. Some examples of air pollution-related effects on humans: allergies, chronic coughing, red watery eyes, shortness of breath, fatigue, headache, disorientation, worsening of asthma, the list goes on. Would we want our children and their children to be plagued by health complications all arising from the worsening air conditions?
Here's hoping that we are greeted to clear-blue skies in the near future.
Obi-Kwan Kenobi, 2006
