Moonilia’s Blog

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Summary:
On 26th November, a three-year old boy has found death after eating the highly toxic pesticide carbofuran.

Conservationists have led the campaign to ban the pesticide. This kind of pesticide has been added livestock carcasses to kill lions, hyenas and other wildlife that are able to harm domesticated animals. The FMC Corporation stopped selling the chemical, under name of Furadan in 2008. However the pesticede still remains selling in rural areas of the country. And Furadan doesn’t make it clear how dangerous and deadly the pesticide can be. “The labels are very difficult to understand,” said Paula Kahumbu, executive director of the Nairobi-based conservation group WildlifeDirect. “For one thing, they’re in English, which is often the buyer’s second or third language.”

Kigai, the boy’s father said he bought Furadan a few months ago for preparation to plant his vegetables at his small farm and he had no idea that it was harmful to humans. He left the pesticide in the container, where his son was found dead. He assured: “I am sure he ate it, because he had [the pesticide] in his hand and in his mouth,” Kigai said.

Reflection:
First of all, I think Kenya should have stricter rules over the language used at the packaging. Basically all the goods’ packagings, especially medicine and pesticides should be clearly shown in both languages: Kenya’s original language and English. Since it is produced and widely traded in Africa, it is important that the first language is used so everybody is able to understand the notifications. Second of all, there must have been stricter rules on banning trading on selling out this kind of pesticide. As mentioned in the article, the pesticide can still be found on shelves at certain areas after banning. So why didn’t the government double check on the trading of this products to see if it’s still available in the market? Lastly, I wonder if the people who buy this kind of pesticide have a question in their minds: ‘Are there any harms to ourselves since it is able to kill pests?’ or at least ‘ What does the notification at the packaging mean?’. They should be more careful about the notifications since it causes tremendously dangerous threat to one’s life if they don’t know it.

Map:

Works cited:
Wardharns, Nick. “Boy Dies After Eating Lion-Killing Pesticide, Dad Says.” Daily Nature and Science News and Headlines | National Geographic News. 13 Nov. 2009. Web. 29 Nov. 2009. .
Hekima Language Services:News.” Index of /. Web. 29 Nov. 2009. .
“Death and destruction News.” Indians in Thailand. Web. 29 Nov. 2009.

During class today, we watched a video about Botnets. The facts were shockingly shown as we explored how easy it is to buy a Botnets and its speed of hacking the compromised computers.It worried me because after acknowledging the simpleness of hacking and its negative impacts, I immediately wondered if my laptop at home has been hacked.

Botnets program nowadays is more professional than before. First of all, when the machine is being hacked, there is no sign to recognize it. No symptoms appear on the machine such as pink flash. Thus we can never recognize if our machines are being hacked since there is no sign to approve it. Botnets is able to send over 10 000 spams within a few hours. Technically, the hackers’ purpose is for phishing, sending several spams to several accounts hoping at least a few of them would be sucked in. They steal the credit cards number of the computer users and this is a sustainable way for them to earn money illegally but fast. Some people still get sucked in because they fake the banks and bank’s websites and creating their own logos. Besides, BotNets is a bad thing because people always have no ideas of whom send them the spams. Moreover, DDOS (Distributed Denial of Service) is also reported as a serious threat to any computers. It causes difficulties to log in to the websites and function them properly. Another threat that Botnets can cause is it is able to shut down the entire website which makes people unable to access to the webpage.Furthermore, BotNets send viruses to our computers as well and destroy the computers’ systems. The hackers using BotNets to control our computers sometimes for no certain purpose at all.

Fortunately, there are 3 certain ways to prevent Botnets. Firstly, the user should enable operating system updates which allows PC toupdate itself. Secondly, Switching on Firewall is able to protect the PC. Thirdly, Anti-virus software should be available to cure infected PC.

Picture Credit:

http://justgetthere.us/blog/uploads/botnet.jpg

In Geography, we explored about Millenium Development Goals. Now in ICT, our assignment is using Xtranormal to produce a video that is related to Millenium Goals. Below is my video which introduces what Millenium Development Goals are:

In my personal opinion, I think Xtranormal is a very useful website to create a video, especially for beginners. According to its functions of choosing animations, expressions, backgrounds, camera angles, etc., the main things that we have to do are writing a script and choosing the functions that are already available on the site. Another cool thing is everybody is able to watch and comment on your video. I think this program would help people developing their creativity and skill to become a director as well as an editor.

Overall, the motto of this site is: ‘If you type, you can make movies.’ So I consider that this website is fairly easy to use. Basically your jobs are to choose functions for expressions and appropriate punctuation for the characters’ script.

Writing text and using xtranormal are 2 similar ways to express the ideas and making up the story. Technically, wrting text allows people to express the ideas more abstractly without any visual sources. Furthermore writing text shows the ideas in a formal category. It provides people opportunities to improve the imaginery since there is no visual provision. Besides, it also improves our writing standard.

On the other hand, xtranormal provides us basic skill for both writting script and being a director. This can be considered as providing basic skill of an editor and director. The positive that xtranormal has over writing text is it has visual sources – video. Plus, it would be interesting to set up the characters’ emotion, animation and expression and well as sounds.

Overall, I think each type has its benefits and both are sufficient ways to express our ideas or making a story. However I prefer xtranormal because it provides opportunity to both writing script and making the video by using simple tools.

Picture Credit:

http://www.schoolswork.co.uk/media/images/xtranormal.jpg

Today we did the debate in class about the topic of drilling oil. There were 2 arguments towards this topic: FOR and AGAINST drilling oil. We participated in 2 types of debates: online debate (silent debate) and live debate.

Both types have both disadvantages and advantages. For instance, silent debate allowed us to write our arguments without any interruptions. Furthermore more people were able to fight against our points by replying the discussion that we had posted. Thus this means that everyone could involve in the debate. Nevertheless, its disadvantages are it was very confusing since there were too many posts and sometimes too many replies towards 1 discussion. Besides online debate wasted our time because we needed time to type in our ideas and post them. Therefore even though more people would able to participate however the arguments that they are able to make was not as many as live debate. Plus, there was another negative about this type of debate was that it did not show any notifications about the new posts.

I preferred the live debate because it show enthusiasm as well as expression. Besides it wouldn’t take much time for somebody to give out their arguments, they could do it immediately to respond the opponents. This is due to another fact that there was no chair. Body language and eye contact were 2 important factors that made the debate more enthusiastic and aggressive. Moreover by direct eye contact, it gave us opportunities to express our ideas more rapidly and appropriately. However live debate with no chair has a disadvantage is that there would be interruption during the debate or one person would speak too much and the other wouldn’t have a chance to view their points.

Technically, the debate was about should we drill oil or not. The FOR ideas were: Oil is essential for life and most activities require oil as well as without oil; the economy will collapse. On the other hand, ideas AGAINST drilling oil was also included in the debate: Oil is a non-renewable resource therefore if we drilling and use up too much oil, there would be nothing left for the future generation; oil contains toxicity and gases that harm the environment as well as cause health effects on people. All the points were supported by reliable evidence and very thoughtful.

In my personal perspective, I conclude that oil should be drilling continuously however should be reduce the amount. Basically we should reduce less oil to benefit our health, future generation and the environment. Obviously it is impossible for development and living without oil. Therefore oil drilling should occur with an efficient rate which means oil conservation is the keyword for this argument.

By: Moonilia and Kristie

We have chosen ‘Child mortality’  as a target to accomplish for Millenium Goals. All 8 goals of Millenium Development Goals are equally important however we found our interest in ‘Child mortality’. Particularly we are making 3 specific plans to raise funds for 2 organizations: Operation Smile and Heartbeat Vietnam.

There are 3 ways that we think would be most effective and have the simplest process. First of all, on 14th November is ‘Bazaar Day’ when we can join donation by selling school supplies. This would be done effectively because my cousin owns a bookstore therefore I am able get new free school supplies and we are going to sell those with lower price. We have chosen Bazaar Day because many people will come and this means the amount of goods that we can sell will increase so more funds we can make.

Another way to raise funds sufficiently is we are going to establish a game call ‘Guess the teachers’. We will print out sheets which contains names of the teachers and their secrets or interesting facts that relate to them and their present or history lives. To play this game, the students have to buy this sheet and match the teacher’s names with the statements have been listed. This would attract people attention because we are going to make a prize at the end of the year for those who got all right and hand in earliest. This event will take place in 2 weeks before the end of school year. This is because we want to have 2 weeks for selling these sheets and give people time to compete. Moreover the prize can be given out on the day that we celebrate end of year celebration. Besides, to prevent the threat of people photocopying the sheets, we would ask the school to lend us ‘SSIS property’ stamp (if it is available). The price of the sheet will be 2.000 VND / sheet and will be sold for all students from elementary to senior. To ensure that this plan will work, we are going to make posters advertising about the event.

Another plan that we could think of is during Valentine’s day, we will open a rose shop and delivery service. We will set up a group of people who are interested in earning CAP hours to help complete the process. We will sell roses and some small cards as well. We will deliver roses based on requirements of the costumers during Valentine’s day. The price of the roses and cards will be the same as public price, delivery will be free. People can book roses and cards a few days before Valentine’s day so we would have time to set up and prepare. Everybody in the school including staff and students are able to buy roses and require delivery.

After all 3 plans have done, all the money will be brought to donate to both Operation Smile and Heartbeat Vietnam by the end of  school year.

Millennium Development Goals are 8 goals to be achieved in 2015. These goals refer to world’s development and process of cancelling the term ‘unequal world’. 8 goals of Millennium Development Goals are:

• End Poverty and Hunger
• Universal Education
• Gender Equality
• Child Health
• Maternal Health
• Combat HIV/AIDS
• Environmental Sustainibility
• Global Partnership

In general, as a small community and we are at a young age, the basic thing that we should do to help the Millenium Development Goals is to study. Education means gaining knowledge, we would learn several solutions to resolve the problems of development. In several subjects, we are taught about several topics which are related to 8 goals listed above. Furthermore, community activities at school also offer us opportunity to accomplish the goals. For instance, club of global issues gives us knowledge about environmental sustainibility, child health, combat HIV/AIDS, etc.

We are able to apply it in action as we donate for charity, which helps end poverty and hunger. Moreover we are able to help individually as well if we consume resources and use them efficiently. Preventing ourselves from infected by HIV/AIDS means either helping ourselves personally and take action in combat HIV/ AIDS.

Reflection:

In my personal perspective, photo retouching contributes to negative body image. As a matter of fact, all the editors and art directors always work on the eternal process of making the models look perfect. The photo retouching is aware however it may give the readers/ audience negative attitudes towards their own figures, particularly their own bodies. 

“We may be aware of retouching, but that doesn’t mean we are immune to the subtle feeling of self-loathing that may result from seeing these images every day of our lives.”

The readers may have negative attitudes after reading a magazine since the models are available with perfect body figures. They consider themselves as a very bad body when as a matter of fact, they look normal in people eyes. They would begin to feel anxious, unconfident and uncomfortable during their daily lives. This develops self- esteem, the roots of behavior which make your life feel unproductive and unmanageable and leads to certain problems such as eating disorder. They gain eating disorder by either suffering in anxiousness or trying to lose weight.

“A person with a positive body image will feel happy about the way they look and be comfortable in their own skin. A person with a negative body image will be anxious about the way they look, feel uncomfortable in certain situations and worry they do not ‘fit in’.”

People get obsessed as soon as they judge a model as a perfect body and making a model their scheme. They desperately want their body to look like the model or at least similar size. This makes them using popping pills as boys’ dissatisfaction is no less than girls’. The risks of popping pills are very high however people still use it because they desire to have physiques same as the model in the retouched photo. Furthermore due to the obsession, many girls are long to have surgery at a very young age. Surgeries have several negative impacts on people daily lives for both men and women. However there is still a large number of men and women who consider that they approve  cosmestic surgery in America.

Americans’ general approval of cosmetic surgery

 

56% of women say they approve of cosmetic surgery

57% of men say they approve of cosmetic surgeryWould consider cosmetic surgery for self, now or in the future

31% of women

20% of men

In my personal perspective, I conclude that people need to rely on realistic and aware of photo retouching to judge their bodies. No body is perfect unless the use of Photoshop is applied.

Research:

1. “Cosmetic Plastic Surgery Statistics: Plastic Surgery Research.info: Board Certified Cosmetic Plastic Surgeons, http://www.cosmeticplasticsurgerystatistics.com/statistics.html#2007-ATTITUDES.

2. “Celebrity Retouching: 10 Reasons to Revise Your Reality,” http://www.diet-blog.com/archives/2006/03/26/celebrity_retouching_10_reasons_to_revise_your_reality.php.
3. “Negative Body Image Perception – Distorted Body Image,” http://www.disordered-eating.co.uk/causes-of-eating-disorders/negative-body-image.html.
4. “Popping pills / LJWorld.com,” http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2005/aug/16/study_teens_see/?living.
5. “Surgery Statistics,” http://www.umm.edu/surgery-info/statistics.htm.
6. “Young Girls’ Eating Attitudes and Body Image Dissatisfaction: Associations with Communication and Modeling — Kichler and Crowther 29 (2): 212 — The Journal of Early Adolescence,” http://jea.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/29/2/212.