Water Pollution

Everyone knows that more than 10% of the surface area of the earth is covered by water. water is really quite important to all the creatures since no life can exist without water. But in recent years, more and more water are polluted by human activities, and water pollution has become a problem that everybody should face today. The three main sources of water pollution are domestic sewage, agricultural run off and industrial effluents.

For the domestic sewage, it refers to waste water that is discarded from households. It's large by volume and contains impurities such as organic materials and plant nutrients that tend to rot. Hence it is also very likely to contain disease-causing microbes. But the problem is that in some countries, there is no proper desposal of domestic sewage. In some parts of China, like my hometown, Jinlin, a lot of domestic sewage are discharged into the Songhua River without any proper treatment most of the time. What's more, today many people dump their garbage into streams, lakes, rivers, and seas, thus making water bodies the final resting place of cans, bottles, plastics and other household products, and some of them contain harmful chemicals like the synthetic detergents.

For the agricultural run off, the common use of fertilizers and pesticides will cause water pollutions. The use of land for agriculture and practices followed in cultivation greatly affect the quality of ground water. It's said that the high nitrate content in groundwater is mainly from irrigation run-off from agricultural fields where chemical fertilizers have been used indiscriminately. And when these chemicals are washed away by the rains, they will flow to the river nearby and cause the pollution again.

For the industrial effluents, water pollution is mainly caused by the industrial waste water which contains specific and readily identifiable chemical compounds. Most of these compounds are highly toxic. As the number of industries grown rapidly in recent years, more and more waste water is produced. Hence a big amount of money is needed for the disposal of these waste water. But the problem is that most of the developing countries can't afford so much money for treating the waste water, they also don't have any adequate effluent treatment facilities. Thus, the crisis of water pollution occured.

Actually, I think water pollution really has a lot of serious effects. It's not only devastating to people but also to animals, fish and birds. Polluted water is unsuitable for drinking, recreation, agriculture and industry. It diminishes the aesthetic quality of lakes and rivers. More seriously, contaminated water destroys aquatic life and reduces its reproductive ability. Eventually, it is a hazard to human health. Nobody can escape the effects of water pollution.

As a student, I think we should also contribute to the protecting of the water. We have only one earth, we should not harm it any more! If anybody can contribute a little, I believe the problem of water pollution will be solved eventually in future.

(reference:http://edugreen.teri.res.in/EXPLORE/water/pollu.htm)

Melting The Ice——Wen's visit to Japan

Since World War II, there has been a tension between China and Japan till recent years. But just a month ago, there is a visit to Japan by Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao, and Wen said that his three-day visit to Japan was meant to "melt the ice"

To Japan, Wen's visit was the first in nearly 7 years by a Chinese leader and it's also the first visit in 22 years by a Chinese leader in Japan's parliament.

For the politics, Wen Jiabao of China pledged friendship with Japan, but also cautioned that Tokyo must match its past apologies for its wartime aggression with concrete actions. As a warning against Abe not to visit the Yasukuni Shrine, he commented that:" only a handful of militarists" in Japan were responsible for the war in China and that the Japanese people, like the Chinese people, were "victims of the war". I think it's really a kind and acceptable way to Japan that Wen raised the history-related problems that have been at the heart of the disputes between the countries, but avoided the bitter tone and finger-pointing that accompanied visit Japan by Jiang Zemin, the former president, in 1998.

Though so far, there have been no breakthroughs in the most contentious issues bedeviling their relations, I can see that both the countries have appeared to make great efforts to impose ties.

To me, I'm really happy with our prime minister's visit to Japan since that it's really a good start of stable and friendly relationship between China and Japan.

China and Japan have been neighbours since ancient years and there has been regular contact between these two countries since the Tang Dynasty. At that time, China is one of the most prosperous countries in the world and played a role of a teacher to Japan, which was undeveloped. So despite the wars, China and Japan really should be good neighbours. Though in the history, Japan invaded China and committed a lot of unacceptable crime, it has been the past already. Actually we shouldn't forget the history, but we also shouldn't let the history become an obstacle of good relationships between the two countries today! On another hand, the crimes were not committed by all the Japanese, and the militarism has also been the past, it's not a proper reason for an existing grudge. The most important situation is that how do these two neighbour countries cooperate well with each other and achieve their goals, but not the consideration of the past and treat it as the thick ice between their relationships. So I think Wen's visit to Japan is really correct and necessary.

All in all, I hope that from now on, China and Japan will have a close and stable relationship, be friendly and help and also cooperate with each other. I believe that the ice between them is melting now, and it will disappear eventually on one day in future.

( reference: http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/04/12/news/japan.php )

The educational isuues in countrysides in China

I have just read an article on the internet about the educational issues in the countryside of China,it really shocked me a lot.
China has the largest population in the world,but do you know what's the population of the countryside among the whole population 1.3 billion?It's 0.9 billion,it means that 70% of China's population are farmers who are just the poorest in China.
As a farmer, each of them can only earn 3200 yuan(640 S$)each year,but the money they should pay for the education of their children is 800 yuan(160 S$)per child.What's more,some of these families always don't obey the "One Child Policy",they may give birth to a lot.Since it's impossible for a family in the rural region to pay such a big amount of money,a lot of children have dropouted during elementary or secondary schools.
Though China has already promulgated the law on compulsory education in 1986, which stipulates that the state should provide a nine-year compulsory education "free of tuition fees" for all primary and junior middle school students,it still hasn't been achieve till today cause the schools in the rural region always collect tuition fees or charge various"miscellaneous fees"in some excuses.It cause dropout ratio for rural primary and junior middle schools in 2004 was 2.45 percent and 3.91 percent respectively, while the figure in the less developed central and western regions was much higher!
But to my surprise,our premier Wen Jiabao on Sunday pledged that the government would eliminate all charges on rural students receiving a nine-year compulsory education before the end of 2007. He also said that the government will increase about 218.2 billion yuan(53.6 S$)on the funds of education in the next 5 years to lift China out of the rank of less than 30 countries worldwide which fail to provide their kids with completely free compulsory education. And he had also claimed that China will fund the repair and renovation of rural school buildings and guaranteeing the payment of rural school teachers' salaries .
All of these will really ameliorate the educational issues and will benefit some 160 million school-age children in the vast rural region, who account for nearly 80 percent of the country's primary and junior middle school students.
Actually it's a good milestone in China's history and also a good beginning.If the government will do so,then more and more students especially that in rural regions will have a opportunity to finish their compulsory education.It's really motivate all the poor family.
So you can see though China has a lot of educational issues now, I believe that it will be solved on one day at last.And I also hope all the students will treasure this opportunity and become hard-working!
(Reference:http://english.people.com.cn/200603/05/eng20060305_248042.html)

The educational isuues in countrysides in China

I have just read an article on the internet about the educational issues in the countryside of China,it really shocked me a lot.
China has the largest population in the world,but do you know what's the population of the countryside among the whole population 1.3 billion?It's 0.9 billion,it means that 70% of China's population are farmers who are just the poorest in China.
As a farmer, each of them can only earn 3200 yuan(640 S$)each year,but the money they should pay for the education of their children is 800 yuan(160 S$)per child.What's more,some of these families always don't obey the "One Child Policy",they may give birth to a lot.Since it's impossible for a family in the rural region to pay such a big amount of money,a lot of children have dropouted during elementary or secondary schools.
Though China has already promulgated the law on compulsory education in 1986, which stipulates that the state should provide a nine-year compulsory education "free of tuition fees" for all primary and junior middle school students,it still hasn't been achieve till today cause the schools in the rural region always collect tuition fees or charge various"miscellaneous fees"in some excuses.It cause dropout ratio for rural primary and junior middle schools in 2004 was 2.45 percent and 3.91 percent respectively, while the figure in the less developed central and western regions was much higher!
But to my surprise,our premier Wen Jiabao on Sunday pledged that the government would eliminate all charges on rural students receiving a nine-year compulsory education before the end of 2007. He also said that the government will increase about 218.2 billion yuan(53.6 S$)on the funds of education in the next 5 years to lift China out of the rank of less than 30 countries worldwide which fail to provide their kids with completely free compulsory education. And he had also claimed that China will fund the repair and renovation of rural school buildings and guaranteeing the payment of rural school teachers' salaries .
All of these will really ameliorate the educational issues and will benefit some 160 million school-age children in the vast rural region, who account for nearly 80 percent of the country's primary and junior middle school students.
Actually it's a good milestone in China's history and also a good beginning.If the government will do so,then more and more students especially that in rural regions will have a opportunity to finish their compulsory education.It's really motivate all the poor family.
So you can see though China has a lot of educational issues now, I believe that it will be solved on one day at last.And I also hope all the students will treasure this opportunity and become hard-working!
(Reference:http://english.people.com.cn/200603/05/eng20060305_248042.html)

Acid Rain

Have you ever heard about the acid rain?I have just read an article on it.Acid rain is a kind of natural calamity which is caused by smoke and gases that are given off by factories and cars that run on fossil fuels.When these fuels are burned to produce energy,the sulfur that is present in the fuel combines with oxygen and becomes sulf dioxide;some of the nitrogen in the air becomes nitrogen oxide.These pollutants go into the atmosphere and become acid,so when it rains, the normal rains will become acid rains.
Actually the acid rain is very harmful to the nature and human beings.Since acid can corrode everything it meets.When a acid rain comes,a lot of plants and animals will die,a lot of buildings will be destroyed and it's said that only one drop of the acid rain is enough to make a person feel burning pain!
Since there are few factories in Singapore,it's a unpolluted country,but it's quite different from China.There are so many factories and vehicles and such a large population in China that it need a big amount of energy every day.So acid rain is quite common in some part of China.It's also the same in America and some European countries.I think the government didn't pay enough attention for it,or the cases of acid rain will not be still increasing.
But there is still some solution to solve the problem.To conserve energy is just a way because some experts have already proved that if energy was used more carefully,we could cut the amount of the fuel burner in half!And to clean the coal before burning it is also a essential way.
As a student,we can just take buses or MRT to go to school instead of taking vehicles,can also contribute to solve this problem.
We should not only consider about ourselves but also our posterities.If everyone of us just contribute a little,I believe that the acid rain will be coped or reduced at last on one day in future.
(Reference:http://www.geocities.com/narilily/acidrain.html)

The difference of the Chinese New Year between China and Singapore

As a Chinese scholar,this is my first Chinese New Year in Singapore.I find that there is a lot of things here are very different from what we have in China.Let me share these oponions with you.
In China,it's winter now and it's quite colder than Singapore.Especially my hometown Jilin,which is the north east part of China,the temperture there can be even below zero now.Everywhere is snow and really quite white.But in Singapore the weather is very warm, just like our summer.You can only see green instead of white.So the feeling of Chinese New Year to me has changed a lot.
There is also a very different phenomenon between Singapore and China. Now it can be the noisiet period in China.You can find every family play the firecracker everywhere in China now,sometimes you even can not hear the sound of the TV or the telephone because of the noise of the firecrackers.But in Singapore people are not allowed to do the firework,so it's a little quiet here.
There is also a thing that suprise me a lot.I found that the stores here are all nealy closed during Chinese New Year,but in China the stores are all open now because a lot of people need to perchase things during these holiday,so the business is quite prosperous now.
I also visisted a local family on the Chinese New Year's Eve.I was so surprised that the so called "reunion dinner" is just like a normal dinner,five all six people sit arround table and they always eat the steam boat.But in China the reunion dinner is quite ceremonious,more than ten people sit around one table and eat more than ten different dishes together.We always chat with each other loudly and laughed happily because we may haven't seen each other for a long time,so we feel really excited during the dinner.But here is also a bit quieter.
Overall,though the Chinese New Year in Singapore is quite different from that in China,I'm still satisfied with it and love it very much.I hope the school can give us a longer holiday in future during this traditional festival that can help relax ourselves better.And I also hope the Chinese New Year in Singapore can be a bit more noisy in future because a real Chinese New Year should not be too quiet.
At last,wish everybody a splendid new year!