Water deficit in southern Gaza Strip

   Ever since the Hamas attack, not only were there 1400 people killed, but ever since the attack, the gazans have been facing a water shortage.

  Every time Gazans need to use the toilet, the would have to queue up for hours and most of them also have not showered for days. Sadly, the country is also facing an electricity and food shortage. Foods the civilians can find sometimes are most commonly tuna fish and cheese, and food supplies the were lacking profusely faced a surge in prices.

  Some Gazans also fled to their relatives house nearby, only to find other families living in that particular house. The Gazans know that if they bathe, they would not have enough water to drink due to the water shortage. Many Gazans are very desperate for mainly water, but also food and electricity consecutively.

                       WRITERS THOUGHTS

I feel pity towards the Gazans as they do not have water, an essential resource needed by humans. It also saddens me that the Gazans also face food and electricity shortage and I hope that their situation can improve.

Article summarisation and review

   

  Link:https://cnalifestyle.channelnewsasia.com/wellness/parkinsons-disease-coffee-effects-372341?cid=internal_sharetool_iphone_01102023_cnalifestyle

  Almost 10% of Singaporeans have a gene that puts them at a high risk of getting Parkinson’s disease, which is most commonly known in the form of disease that causes instability and uncontrolled movements. Although this sounds unpleasant to the ears, however, there is a simple way to reduce that risk.

  The solution is coffee, or even tea! Coffee plays a very important part in this as it helps reduce the risk of getting Parkinson’s by four to eight times in people! How amazing is that? Considering that PD is the most neurodegenerative disease in Singapore, finding a solution to it is a big achievement. Coffee is known to have a potential protective effect against PD, thus, drinking about up to 2 cups of coffee a day can help to greatly reduce the risk of getting PD.

  To dive deeper in the concept, we all know that coffee contains caffeine, which is the real magic. Aside from the effects that we all know about caffeine, did you know that consuming about 400ml of caffeine a day helps to maximise the chances of not getting PD. An experiment was conducted with people who drank different amounts of coffee a day, and it was found that consuming 400ml a day was the best. 

               WRITERS PERSONAL OPINION

  In my opinion, I think that it is really amazing how much of an impact just merely one cup of coffee does to our body! Although it saddens me how much of our population has risks of PD, I feel better knowing that there is a chance to combat PD! After reading this article, I might even consider taking coffee!

Article summarisation and review

 

  Umaisyah, a 2 year old child, was abused by her parents repeatedly, until at the age of 2, she had a seizure after suffering fatal injuries and passed away.

  After realising what happened, her parents decided to hide the truth and burned up the carcass. As a result, her ashes were hidden under the kitchen.

  Sadly, the remains of her ashes were only found by her uncle five years later. The year when Umaisyah was supposed to turn seven, her parents got a call from MOE regarding why she didn’t attend primary school, which was covered up by her parents that she went to live with a distant relative.

  Finally, on September 19, 2023,Umaisyah’s father was sentenced to 21 1/2 years in jail and 18 strokes of the cane.  

                READERS THOUGHTS

  Personally, I think that Umaisyah’s father should have a heavier punishment. Since the irreversible damage has already been done, he should try his best to make up for it. This article should also serve as a reminder that parents should love their kids and not resort to extreme and violent ways to treat their kids.

                SOURCE

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/commentary/umaisyah-father-kill-two-year-old-girl-burn-remains-metal-pot-3790616

Trip to forest adventure and sentosa cove

 When we were on our way to forest adventure (at bedok) , I was having mixed emotions, comprising of excitement and scared. I had a fear of heights, also known as acrophobia. Forest adventure requires extreme walking over obstacles that are way above the ground, so even if I did not look down, I would still be shaking non-stop.

  When I started the course, it was worse than I had expected. Although there was a rope to prevent me from falling, the fear of heights was still there. After a terrifying hour, I completed the course. There was a big net that we had to climb over while our backs were facing the ground, downwards. Thinking of how I felt back then never failed to send chills down my spine.

  After a refreshing drink of hundred plus, my family decided to have lunch before embarking on our journey to sentosa cove. The lunch I had was very delicious and soothed my feelings a little. When we arrived at sentosa cove, we decided to go for the two trip ride, which includes a louge where we will sit on a bench while being transported to the other place for the second ride. Since we were hanging above the air, my fear of heights settled in on me again.

  After yet another painful experience, the other ride made up for it. We rode something that looked like a mini car. First, instructors taught us how to control it before we rode on the 500m route. It was really fun riding past obstacles. 

  After it ended, we decided to go home. Well, to me, it was a really fun experience and I would definitely go again in the future if I had an oppurtunity.

Lee Kuan Yew memoirs - My first clashes with the government

   On a hot and humid afternoon in 1952, Lee Kuan Yew was asked by a group of 3 Malays and one Indian to be their lawyer to appeal for salary revisions. Lee Kuan Yew agreed although the pay was not much. Those group of people were planning to do a strike in Singapore for that. 

  Before the strike began, Lee Kuan Yew’s friend, keng Swee had returned from England arranged a meeting between Lee Kuan yew and an associate editor, Sinnathamby Rajartnam. After discussing plans, Raja was eager to write a good issue to challenge the colonial government.

  Surprisingly, the issue wrote by Raja reached the ears of the colonial officers. The issue stated about the racial  bias of the colonial government, about how the British earn much more than the locals. 

  At the end of the week, many unions and the public decided to help the postmen carry on their strike to a successful end, which made the government rattle. 

  This situation resulted in the demoralisation of British officials. The colonial secretary decided to conduct negotiations with union representatives and as a result, the strike was suspended for three days. 

  As a result, Lee Kuan yew was now well known for leading striking workers, speaking up for them and were trusted by them. Thus, he was invited to become a legal advisor for many trade unions and clan associates. 

  Lee Kuan yew also took up the effort to learn the Chinese language, although it was difficult due to time constrain and the lack of opportunities. 

  Still, the strike was planned again after a few days due to the lack of pay. Lee Kuan yew was asked to be legal advisior for the unions. Luckily, keng Swee suggested the idea of demanding proportionate allowances for all government servants, especially the poorly paid. With this, the council of joint action was formed with a membership of 14000.

  Finally, the Comintern agreed that the unions should receive family allowances, which made the government appalled. When the government rejected the appeal, he was threatened by 6 unions to strike action, which made the government powerless. 

  As a result, the council of joint action shook off the colonial system and a salary scale that gave bigger increases to the higher paid than to the lowest paid.

Elevation

     Author: Stephen King

  There was a knock on Dr Bob Ellis's door. He was  retired doctor. Turns out, it was his friend Scott. He had a weird weight loss syndrome. Every day, he started to lose weight more and more. He looked like he weighed 240 pounds, but in reality, he had dropped to 210 pounds in a few weeks. When he took of his clothes and weighed himself, he also weighed the same.

      Dr Ellis was surprised at this s it was impossible for someone to weigh the same when they were naked and when they were dressed. Problems aside, there was now an annual race competition at their town. Normally, Scott coudn't run fast as he was 240 pounds, but when the race came, he had dropped to 160 pounds. Well, another weird thing was that Scott didn't feel symptoms. He could eat like a horse and felt like he was in the best moment of his life, and never felt like he had lost any weight.

  Surprisingly, Scott could finish running the whole 12km marathon. He definitely felt tired, but he was surprised that he could still complete it. Although he still does not know why he keeps losing weight, but he is sure to spend his last few months or days to live to the fullest of his life.

The Singapore Story - Chapter 5

 Title: The Singapore Story - Memories of Lee Kuan Yew (Chapter 5)

Author: Lee Kuan Yew

Chapter Review: My Cambridge days

  Lee Kuan Yew was on a ship called The Britannic. He was on his way to the London university. At 3 October 1946, he arrived in London. While attending the university, he decided that he had to look for somewhere to live, and found himself a room at 8 fitzjohn's avenue. The only problem was that Lee Kuan Yew was suffering from culture shock, as the clothes, food, people and many other things were different.

  The price of the apartment for a week was quite costly for someone who had stopped earning. Although that included gas fire and retractable gas ring, it was expensive when Lee Kuan Yew ate at restaurants without coupons. After asking around, Lee Kuan Yew finally knew where to buy meat, and without a refrigerator, how to keep milk cold.

  One day, after his law tutorials at the London university, Lee Kuan Yew approached the lecturer, Glanville L. Williams, who was from Cambridge, how it was there. After knowing more about cambridge, Lee Kuan Yew decided to pay a visit there. After visiting, he was interested in joining cambridge.

  After asking the censor of fitzwilliam, Billy Thatcher, Billy Thatcher took a liking to Lee Kuan Yew and decided to let him join cambridge. After quitting the London university,  he enrolled in cambridge university and was more used to cambridge and could adapt better. He would not have to worry about food and daily neccssities. 

At about June 1947, Kwa Geok Choo finally got the queen's scholarship, but could not find a suitable university to join. After pleading Billy Thatcher, he finally agreed to let Choo join the cambridge university.

Shortly after Choo arrived, she was also in for culture shock. She was not accustomed to food, clothes and many other things. But after a few weeks of hectic adjustments, she finally got a little used to the environment.

  After a few more days, Lee Kuan Yew and Kwa Geok Choo decided to get married quietly and in secret. After they got married, Lee Kuan Yew bought Choo a platinum wedding ring, which she wore on a chain around her neck.

The next few years passed by like the blink of an eye and soon it was graduation. Lee Kuan Yew and his friends (his brother dennis, maurice baker, toh chin chye, choo and many more) all had a party together before going their separate ways.

  Soon, Kwa Geok Choo and Lee Kuan Yew sailed home to Singapore. Choo went to her house in Pasir Panjang and Lee Kuan Yew went back to his home in Oxley road while keeping his marriage a secret.

Questions:

1.     Why did Lee and Kwa get married in secret?

Answer: They did not want Kwa's parents to know that she got married or they would have been upset, and the university and the censor would not have approved if he knew they got married.

Vocabulary List

1. accomodation - a room, group of rooms, or building in which someone may live or stay.

2. Masqueraded - pretending to be someone

3. canvassing - 1. cover with canvas. 2. question (someone) in order to ascertain their opinion.3. propose (an idea or plan) for discussion.

4. shillings - 1. the basic monetary unit in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda, equal to 100 cents.

2. a former British coin and monetary unit equal to one twentieth of a pound or twelve pence.

5. forestry - the science or practice of planting, managing, and caring for forests.

2.