Sunday, August 27, 2006
Article 15
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/5285206.stmSummary
[] The number of seats set aside in these institutions for lower-caste students will increase to nearly 50% to enable more underprivileged groups access to higher education through an affirmative action bill in parliament.
[] It is the only way to undo centuries of discrimination and will allow millions of students from traditionally disadvantaged communities access to some of India's best-known professional colleges.
[] Many elite, upper class Indians see the move as a cynical attempt by politicians to gain votes from the influential lower castes who are a dominant force across the country.
[] Some think that it is simply wrong to have an affirmative action plan which is based purely on the basis of which caste you are born into. "If you want to promote equality in India, then you should do it with reservation on an economic basis.”
Response
It is unfair for the students to be refused of entry to a college merely because they are from the lower-caste. Entry to college should be based on merit, not the castes students are born into. For many years, lower-caste students are at disadvantage when applying for college. To rectify the injustice, the Indian government passed a controversial affirmative action bill. This will increase the number of seats set aside in these institutions for lower-caste students, enabling them to gain access to higher education in India.
Although, this affirmative action bill may benefit the lower caste students, other students may instead be disadvantaged. To promote equality in India, entry to colleges should be based on merit. Allowing students to enter college based on castes may cause a decline in the academics standards of the country’s colleges. However, without the affirmative action bill, the better students in the lower caste may be underprivileged. Hence, to achieve equality in India, Indians will have to pass the castes people belong, and judge based on merit.
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~ 2:14 PM
Article 14
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/5151740.stmSummary
[] There are thousands of Africans who have risked their lives crossing the sea to seek new opportunities in the European Union.
[] Tenerife is now on the frontline of international efforts to keep illegal African migrants out of Europe.
[] If would-be migrants arrive on shores of Canary Islands alive, a borderless Europe means the prospect of eventually being able to travel, work and live in any of the 25 EU countries.
[] Since the beginning of 2006, up to 10,000 Africans have boarded handmade boats in the hope of getting into Europe, ready to risk death.
[] More than 1,700 have died along the way and coastguards working off the Canary Islands have rescued hundreds of men, women and children.
Response
Many Africans chose to sail across the dangerous sea for a better life in Europe. This year, there are already 10, 000 Africans who tried to get into Europe through illegal means. According to the records, this number is already twice the number recorded in 2005. Many a times, when the migrants successfully survived the journey to Europe, they are treated by Red Cross, then detained and flown to the Spanish capital, Madrid, where their asylum claims are processed and they are flown home. As the number of illegal migrants increases, Spain is not able to cope with rising number of migrants. They sought help and support from the rest of the European Union countries. This is not just an illegal immgrants problem for Spain, but for the rest of Europe.
[131 words]
~ 12:35 PM
Article 13
http://www.cnn.com/2006/TECH/ptech/08/22/cellular.recycling.ap/index.html
Summary
[] With Americans trading in their phones for fancier models every 18 months on average, the supply of used but perfectly functional phones is enormous.
[] ReCellular’s loading dock gets a flood of phones, some arriving in charity group's individual mailers and other in large boxes from companies such as Sprint, Verizon and T-Mobile, which then donate the revenue from the phones to charities.
[] ReCellular handles about 500 phone models. About 60 percent of the phones that come in are reusable. The rest are used for parts or sold as scrap.
[] 55 percent to 60 percent of Recellular phones are sold outside the U.S. and the company has about a quarter of the worldwide cell phone refurbishing business.
Response
Refurbishing and recycling cell phones are booming businesses. There were 2.14 billion of cellular subscribers worldwide in year 2005. With Americans trading in their phones for fancier models every 18 months on average, the number of used but functional cell phones is enormous. But many of these usable phones are not put to good use. Refurbished used phones are sold to developing countries where the cost of a brand-new cell phone is too high for most to afford. Cheaper refurbished cell phones in developing world are opening doors to wireless communication in much of the developing world. With these doors open, these developing countries will be able to keep in touch with the rest of the world.
The March of Dimes, which does research and education on birth defect prevention, turned to ReCellular when it decided to launch a cell phone donation program several years ago. The drive brings in about $160,000 a year.
Canadian Association of Food Banks, the umbrella group for 2,000 food banks and other agencies across Canada has collected about 100,000 phones through its Phones for Food program that began in 2003, raising about $140,000.
[189 words]
~ 12:10 PM
Article 12
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/4617646.stm
SUMMARY
[] An estimated 100 schools in UK are teaching Mandarin Chinese.
[] Mandarin is a tough language for Westerners.
[] Firstly, the script poses problems. There is no alphabet, just thousands of characters.
[] Secondly, the tonal system is hard for the Westerners.
[] The number of people in UK learning Mandarin has gone up in the recent years.
RESPONSE
The world is realizing the importance and the potential of the up rise of the China’s economy. There are many people learning the language of Mandarin, in order to be able to work with the Chinese in the future.
I think it is a blessing for most Singaporeans, from young, we have been living in a multi-lingual environment. Most of us are proficient in both English and Chinese. This gives us a competitive edge over others who just started learning Mandarin. However, what we have learnt is not as good or fluent as the native speakers. We should work hard at grasping the language, especially since, we have a head start compared to others.
Teens, in Singapore, often disregard the language of Mandarin. They place more emphasis on the language of English. Not many teens can communicate their thoughts fluently in Mandarin. I think it is a pity, it should rather easier to learn Mandarin in Singapore as compared to in UK. This is because there are many people who speak the language here, in Singapore. Therefore, making it relatively easier for people to learn the language.
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~ 12:06 PM
Article 11
http://www.cbc.ca/story/science/national/2006/07/18/cervical-cancer.html
Summary
[] Health Canada has approved a vaccine that protects against the human papilloma virus, or HPV, which is responsible for most cases of cervical cancer in women.
[] HPV is said to infect half of all sexually active women between ages 18 and 22 in North America.
[] This year in Canada, nearly 1,400 new cases of cervical cancer are expected and approximately 390 women will die from the disease.
Response
The vaccine is a beneficial discovery that will advantage the women around the globe. By approving the vaccine, women, between ages 9 and 26, will have a chance in preventing diseases, such as cervical cancer, vulvar cancer, vaginal cancer, precancerous lesions and genital warts caused by HPV.
Currently, this vaccine is only offered in Canada through doctors and pharmacists. I look forward to seeing this vaccine being made available to the whole world. I’m sure that this will be the most welcomed in poorer countries, where people cannot afford the expensive medical care that a patient will incur because of the HPV-caused diseases. When the people suffer from such disease, they will eventually die because they cannot afford the medical health care. The vaccine will be a less expensive prevention measure for the poor.
The relevant Canadian authorities hoped that, in the near future, this vaccine will given to all female children before they become sexually active and prone to the exposure to the virus. I think that, this will be an effective measure, it will be easier to prevent the disease than to cure it. Even though, the vaccine will not be able to prevent all strains of the virus, but I’m sure that, in time to come, the researchers would either already come up with an improved vaccine or even a cure for the HPV-caused diseases.
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~ 12:05 PM