Friday, August 24, 2007

Term 3:

Environmental Issues

Link for the original article:
http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/africa/08/20/africa.plastic.reut/index.html?iref=newssearch

Review:
The article is mainly a factual depiction of the amount of garbage in Africa because of plastic bags. Most of us view Africa as a quaint continent, for wildlife and starvation, but never do we imagine that the serene savannahs of Africa could be littered with millions and millions of plastic bags.
Unfortunately, this is a prevalent problem not only in Africa, but all over the world, especially the developing continents such as Asia and South America.
Plastic bags are not only harmful for the environment; they also spoil the beauty of a location. They are just carelessly strewn all over the place, and are very harmful to the environment, especially the animals that eat and digest them. Not only to the flora and fauna, these plastic bags are also damaging to our daily lives, as they block drains and create puddles of stagnant water. The article describes many consequences of this litter, and I believe that it is perfectly valid and true.
However, the article also describes a lot about the precautions and steps that are being implemented Africa, mostly for the better. Quite a few countries are turning over a new leaf and implementing measures to prevent further litter and take care of the litter hitherto. Some countries have banned plastic bags, while some have implemented thickness measures, and so o. but this had led to a question: which is the best method?
Needless to say, manufacturers are not very happy with these measures. It is stated in the article that one of the manufacturers is of the opinion that there should be a change not in the policies of the government, but in the minds of the people. He says that this could be achieved by educating the people about recycling and rational use. I feel that the African countries should indeed consider this as a long-term aim, but to curb the mess being created by plastic bags, such education will not work, and there need to be strict, hard measures.
According to article, someone else has suggested that just placing bins around would solve the problem, giving the example of Nairobi. But while this method could have worked for Nairobi, it is not necessary that it would work everywhere else. And also, the problem of garbage explosion due to plastic bags will not be addressed at all.
I feel that the steps being taken by the African countries’ government are quite correct and they can certainly help reduce the impact of the plastic litter, especially are the steps are being implemented in time. The countries are on the right track, and will surely end this problem someday, though there is surely a very long way to go.

Thursday, August 23, 2007

Term 3:

Social Issues:

Link for the original article:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6949714.stm

This is one of those articles which I did without the purpose of an online portfolio even in mind. The article felt close to my heart and I could not help but comment on it.

Review:
Sex education has always been a matter of controversy in Indian schools. This is mainly because of the Indian culture, and the joint family system. Unlike Singapore, with small homes and nuclear families, people in India live in quite big families, where children have parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts and cousins to live with. In the west, the atmosphere is quite free, with the parents being quite open toward their children. But in India, due to the family system, it is not very comfortable, especially for parents to talk to their children about things like sex and dating in company of their parents.
I feel that it indeed was not correct of the Indian government to introduce sex education in the syllables of 5th and 6th grade students. Someone beautifully stated that children would lose their innocence if taught about sex at such a young age. Also, this curiosity about intercourse may lead to experimentation. Sex education is indeed necessary, but it is the moral of the story that should be stressed upon, and not the details.
The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has said that there is a westernizing influence on the government. I feel that this influence is good, but it must be restricted to the good part. The rational thinking and the inquisitive nature brought about by the westernization is good, but other things, such as bars, night-clubs, and the wrong usage, practical and verbal, of sex is a vary bad effect, putting a stain on India’s age-old culture.
However, there is also an argument by RSS that sex education on the pretext of awareness about AIDS is illogical. I feel that this is not true. Though it will arouse curiosity in the minds of the students, with sufficient emphasis on morality instead of facts, can help to very effectively raise awareness about HIV.
India is a country where respect is highly valued, equally for teachers and members of one’s kin. In such situations, teachers, too, would feel very awkward to talk to students about intercourse and such topics, which would consequently weaken the current bond between teachers and students.
The very main objective of this education to create awareness about HIV-AIDS in the minds of the public has been questioned. I feel that the government does have the peoples’ best interests at heart, but is not implementing the correct measures. There should be courses outside the school source, which teach students about intercourse and related topics. And these courses should preferably be optional. It may seem that this would not raise awareness, but it would actually be surprising to find out how many parents want their children to have correct information about sex.
And as I said, earlier, the government is currently trying to provide facts t the students, which could arouse curiosity. Again as I stated earlier, if the consequences and morality is sufficiently stressed, sex education can certainly prove to be very useful indeed to reduce danger of HIV-AIDS in India.