All 5 Learning Logs Calvin (24)

June Holidays Week 3:

1pm - 2pm

17/6/2016

Source for all five articles: The Straits Times 16 June 2016

What I Did: I read the five articles because I wanted to stay current

Article #1 
Words I did not know: collateral - something pledged as security for repayment of a loan, to be forfeited in                                                                  the event of a default
                                         contingent - subject to chance
                                         interests - a stake or involvement in an undertaking, especially a financial one
Summary: The number of cases of Chinese university students threatened by loan sharks is on the rise. If the debt is not paid, the loan sharks will upload nude photos of the victims online. Victims are urged to seek help from police or go to court to protect their legal interests.

Article #2 
Words I did not know: disconcerted - disturb the composure of; unsettle
                                         denounced - publicly declare to be wrong or evil
                                         presumptive - of the nature of a presumption; presumed in the absence of further                                                                           information
Summary: President Barack Obama and other Democrats and Republicans are angered by Donald Trump's attitude and actions towards Muslims, especially his proposed ban on Muslim immigrants. Republicans are embarrassed.

Article #3 
Words I did not know: lagoon - an artificial pool for the treatment of effluent or to accommodate an overspill                                                              from surface drains during heavy rain
Summary: A two-year-old boy was attacked and dragged into the water by an alligator at Lake Buena Vista, unlikely to be found alive. Authorities are still working hard to find the boy's body.

Article #4 
Words I did not know: federal - having or relating to a system of government in which several states form a                                                             unity but remain independent in internal affairs
                                         convened - come or bring together for a meeting or activity; assemble
Summary: The wife of the gunman who killed forty-nine people at an Orlando gay nightclub could face criminal charges. She claimed to know her husband's plans before he wasted numerous lives. The gunman also professed allegiance to ISIS before the Swat team killed him.

Article #5 
Words I did not know: endorsed - declare one's public approval or support of
Summary: Japan accuses Chinese spy ship of entering its waters. Other Chinese ships have also been spotted within Japanese territories with India and the United States' help. China says that Japan may have other motives for hyping up this issue in the media and they must stay vigilant.

Learning Log Goh Chin Ray

ILL 1

Date:  14 June 2016
           June Holiday Week 3
           6pm-6:30pm

Source: http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/courts-crime/10-arrested-after-brawl-at-bugis-village

What I did: I was bored at home, so I decided to head on to the Straits Times websites to read on situations that are happening around Singapore in the past few days. I then decided to come here and summarise the article I just read.


What I learned: 

Words that I did not fully understand:

Sparked off- To initiate
Intervening- To take part in something so as to prevent or alter a result or course of events.


Summary:
A fight broke out in Bugis last week. It can be seen that both men and women were involved in the brawl by exchanging punches, while one person can be seen lying on the ground, they were all arrested. Police received calls at 10:22 pm on June 7. When they arrived at the scene,  9 people were arrested in relation to the case. It was claimed that the fight broke out due to the misunderstanding between both parties and the possible abuse of alcohol.





ILL 2

Date:  14 June 2016
           June Holiday Week 3
         7pm-7:30pm

Source: http://www.straitstimes.com/world/united-states/wife-of-orlando-shooter-knew-of-attack-could-face-charges-soon-source

What I did: I was bored at home, so I decided to head on to the Straits Times websites to read on situations that are happening around Singapore in the past few days. I then decided to come here and summarise the article I just read.


What I learned: 

Words that I did not fully understand:

Federal- Having or relating to a system of government in which several states form a unity but remain independent in internal affairs.
Convened- Come or bring together of a meeting



Summary:
The wife of Orlando shooter is now facing the possibility of facing charges. The Orlando shooting the recently happened was deadliest mass shooting in Modern United States history that killed 49 people. Despite she trying to talk her husband out of carrying the attack, she did not inform law enforcement about the possible attack and could have prevented many deaths from happening. She also drove her husband to the nightclub once for him to scope the location. Therefore, she might be facing charges soon.





ILL 3

Date:  14 June 2016
           June Holiday Week 3
           9pm-9:30pm

Source: http://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/lawyers-deny-indonesian-woman-poisoned-coffee-to-kill-friend

What I did: I was bored at home, so I decided to head on to the Straits Times websites to read on situations that are happening around Singapore in the past few days. I then decided to come here and summarise the article I just read.


What I learned: 

Words that I did not fully understand:

Premeditated- think out a plan for a crime beforehand.
Convulsions- a sudden irregular movement in the body, usually triggered by toxins


Summary:

An Indonesian woman, who was accused of poisoning and killing her friend by putting cyanide into her coffee, denies the involvement in her death. Her lawyer said that she was not guilty as CCTV footage and people who were at the scene did not see or caught the Indonesian woman attempting to put cyanide into her friends coffee. Austrailia had made a deal with Indonesia, stating that if the woman was found gulity, she would not be executed, in order for the Australians to invested the case.




ILL 5

Date:  15 June 2016
           June Holiday Week 3
           11pm-11:30pm

Source: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-36535791

What I did: I was bored at home, so I decided to try something new today and head over to BBC and read about some of their interesting articles. I came about some really meaningful and would like to summarize them now.


What I learned: 

Words that I did not fully understand:

Polygamy- The practice of having more than 1 wife or husband at the same time.

Summary:
Germany will not recongize any polygamy or minor facing marriage, as this situation is on a rise , Germany had implemented saying that migrants, which includes recent arrivals into the country, must abide by the law, knowing that polygamy is a practice in Islamic culture and a man could have up to 4 wives at any point of time.

Learning Logs [Alya]

7 June

3:00 - 3:30

Source:

http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/pm-security-concerns-behind-move-to-delink-net-access

What I did:

I read some articles on the internet

What I learnt:

Words I didn’t know: liberal - willing to respect or accept behaviour or opinions different from one's own; open to new ideas.

                                 Allay - diminish or put at rest (fear, suspicion, or worry).

Summary:

The net will not be available for the civil servants but they can access it using their own personal devices or government computers dedicated to that purpose. The government feels that this would stop information from leaking out to the public thus they decided to remove internet access from the civil servants from May next year.

8 June

3:00 - 3:30

Source:

http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/education/parliament-psle-scoring-system-to-be-revamped-t-score-to-be-removed-from-2021

What I did:

I decided to find more about the PSLE scoring system for the future generations.

What I learnt:

Words I didn’t know: paradigm - a typical example or pattern of something; a pattern or model.

                                manifests - show (a quality or feeling) by one's acts or appearance; demonstrate.

Summary:

The new scoring system aims to broaden the child’s ability and also plans to lift the stress off the children from being very focused on academics and pressure from their peers performance since the aggregate students get now is based on how well one does compared to their peers.

10 June

3:00-3:30

Source:

http://www.straitstimes.com/world/united-states/wife-of-orlando-shooter-knew-of-attack-could-face-charges-soon-source

What I did:

I decided to read up about the mass shooting in Orlando I saw in Social Media and the first article I saw is the one above, so I decided to read it.

What I learnt:

Words I didn’t know:  federal - having or relating to a system of government in which several states form a unity but remain independent in internal affairs.

                                  Radicalised - Radicalization (or radicalisation) is a process by which an individual or group comes to adopt increasingly extreme political, social, or religious ideals and aspirations that (1) reject or undermine the status quo or (2) reject and/or undermine contemporary ideas and expressions of freedom of choice.

Summary:

The wife of Omar Mateen might be arrested for knowing Omar Mateen’s plans before the mass shooting in a gay club.

11 June

3:00 - 3:30

Source:

http://www.bbc.com/news/election-us-2016-36531868

What I did:

I decided to read up about the mass shooting in Orlando and wanted to see how Donald Trump reacted to it so I read the article stated above.

What I learnt:

Words I didn’t know: implemented - put (a decision, plan, agreement, etc.) into effect.

                                 Unilateral - (of an action or decision) performed by or affecting only one person, group, or country involved in a situation, without the agreement of another or the others.

Summary:

President Obama isn’t really happy with Donald Trump’s reaction to the mass shooting or his ideas to react to it. He doesn’t feel that it is right.

12 June

3:00 - 3:30

Source:

http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/government-will-protect-people-regardless-of-race-religion-or-sexuality-shanmugam

What I did:

I went online to Strait Times and read the first article I saw.

What I learnt:

Words I didn’t know: decisively - putting an end to controversy; crucial or most important

                              Two-pronged - use two methods to get to the same goal.

Summary:

United we stand, divided we fall. We have to stand together against the threats and help each other

Faqih's learning logs

Muhammad Faqih Akmal Learning Log 1

June Holidays Week 2

6am - 7am

10-6-16

Source:

http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/solar-power-profile/

What I Did:

I decide to read about how the sun is useful to man.

What I Learnt:

Words I did not know:

lauded- transitive, intransitive to praise, to glorify

Summary:

The sun is a major source of energy for the earth. It has been shining onto the earth since 4.5 billion years ago. Plants need sunlight to make food while animals feed on plants to survive. We humans use methods to generate electricity from the sun. The methods are by using photovoltaic cells or mirrors to reflect the heat onto a concentrated area for generating electricity.

Muhammad Faqih Akmal Learning Log 2

June Holidays Week 2

8am - 9am

10-6-16

Source:

http://edition.cnn.com/2015/03/10/travel/sr71-blackbird-worlds-fastest-plane/

What I Did:

I decide to read about how the fastest plane in the world.

What I Learnt:

Words I did not know:

reconnaissance- The act of scouting or exploring (especially military or medical) to gain information.

Summary:

Planes are a well-known transport because travelling with it took very less time compared to ground vehicles. However, the fastest plane in the world is called Lockheed SR-71. The pilots were well trained and in the end, the plane travel at a speed of 2193 mph which is about as fast as a bullet.

Muhammad Faqih Akmal Learning Log 3

June Holidays Week 2

10am - 11am

10-6-16

Source:

http://www.globalissues.org/article/165/racism

What I Did:

I decide to read about racism.

What I Learnt:

Words I did not know:

Benevolent - Having the disposition to do good. Possessing or manifesting love for humanity. Altruistic, charitable, kind, just and fair.

Summary:

Racism is everywhere in the world to the present day. Some people are racist because they want to tell the victim that their race has more power or more civilised. Racism causes conflicts or even war. Thus, many people make campaigns to stop all the racism but instead it still continues. This shows how stubborn they are and that they only care about themselves.

Muhammad Faqih Akmal Learning Log 4

June Holidays Week 3

8am - 9am

13-6-16

Source:

http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/freshwater/freshwater-crisis/

What I Did:

I decide to read about the freshwater crisis.

What I Learnt:

Words I did not know:

Copious - Great in quantity or number, profuse, abundant; taking place on a large scale.

Having an ample supply.

Full of thought, information, or matter; exuberant in words, expression, or style.

Summary:

We need water to stay hydrated and alive. However, some parts of the world do not have access to freshwater as only 1% of all the waters in the world are drinkable. Those who do not have access to fresh water, take their water from unhygienic sources such as drains and dirty rivers. That water has viruses or even bacteria such as E-coli. This leads to the spread of diseases and thus, a lot of people are dying due to the lack of drinkable water.

Muhammad Faqih Akmal Learning Log 5

June Holidays Week 3

10am - 11am

13-6-16

Source:

http://wwf.panda.org/about_our_earth/blue_planet/coasts/coral_reefs/coral_importance/

What I Did:

I decide to read about the corals under the sea.

What I Learnt:

Words I did not know:

Commerce - The exchange or buying and selling of commodities; especially the exchange of merchandise, on a large scale, between different places or communities; extended trade or traffic.

Summary:
Sea creatures depend on corals for protection against predators or searching for food. Corals also attract tourist from around the world to admire the beauty of the corals. Thus, the country has a greater revenue. The reason why some countries do not have many natural disasters is that they have coral reefs. Coral reefs prevent or minimise the chance of having the tsunami, hurricane or even storms. These are why coral reefs need to be protected by us, humans.

Learning Logs( Chloe)

ILL 1

Date:

June Hols Week 2

11th June

7.00 - 7.30p.m

Source:
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/06/tiger-temple-thailand-animal-abuse/

What I did: 

I was reading national geographic magazine when I came across this article that caught my attention.

What I learnt:

Words that I do not understand:

embattled: place or people involved in a conflict

abbot: ecclesiastical title given to the head of the monastery

lactating: secretion of milk from the mammery glands and the period of time that a mother lactates to feed her young

Summary:

The famous Thai Tiger Temple faces the risk of closing down as police suspect the temple of illegal trafficking of wildlife and illegal possession of wildlife. Last week, apart from seizing 137 tigers from the temple, police also found 60 frozen and bottled tiger cub carcasses  and pelts and a cache of other endangered species parts and products. On Tuesday, police also raided a house 30 miles from the temple where they found 4 tigers in a fenced compound. The house is where police suspect that the temple used to hold live tigers before slaughtering them for their skin, meat and bones. The abbot knew nothing about the products from tigers or the frozen tiger cub carcasses as the temple personnel smuggled them in behind the abbot's back. If confirmed to be involved in wildlife trafficking, the temple's license might be revoked.


ILL 2

Date:

June Hols Week 2

11th June

8.30 - 9.00p.m

Source:
http://www.straitstimes.com/asia/south-china-sea-fish-wars

What I did: 

I wanted to learn more about what was going on in our world currently. I thought that the topic of the South China Sea was an interesting topic to start on.

What I learnt:

Words that I do not understand:

allure: to tempt with something desirable

affluent: flowing freely or in great quantity

Summary:

Tension in the South China Sea has greatly grown among countries who fish in the South China Sea, including, Indonesia, China, Philippines and Vietnam. Countries have been known to sink fishing boats or vessels poaching in its waters by blowing them up. However, the great demand for fish is driving fishermen farther from their shores and closer to other countries' shores. Although fish can be farmed ad bred, only certain fishes can survive in breeding conditions. Other prized types of fish such as, Tuna and Swordfish cannot be bred and cannot survive breeding conditions. The growing competition is fuelling rows over maritime borders and fishing rights. The countries are locked in tense territorial disputes.

ILL 3

Date:
 June Hols Week 2

12th June

8.30 - 9.00a.m

Source:

http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/all-electric-taxi-fleet-may-hit-the-roads-soon

What I learnt: 

Words that I did not understand:

mileage: distance covered or travelled in miles

Summary: 

Singapore's LTA has confirmed that it is accessing an application from a local firm to be the first to launch an all- electric fleet of taxis. The LTA said that they are working with Economic Development Board to launch an island- wide sharing EV-sharing programme with 1000 cars and 2000  charging points.  According to LTA figures, there are currently about 120 electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles. While taxis account for only 3% of the total vehicle population, they account for about 15% of vehicle emissions. Emissions from taxis could be reduced by 27% if 85% of taxis go electrical. The island's taxi fleet, expected to grow to 30,000 by 2050, could be a combination of battery electric vehicles(60%), plug-in hybrid electric cars(25%) and fuel cars(15%).


ILL 4

Date:

June Hols Week 2

12th June

9.00 - 9.30p.m

Source:

http://www.straitstimes.com/asia/east-asia/explosion-rocks-shanghais-pudong-airport-report

What I learnt:

Words that I did not understand:

disgruntled: angry or dissatisfied

Summary:

On June 12, at about 2.20p.m, a man hurled homemade explosives at the main international airport in Shanghai. 4 others were injured, while the suspect is in critical condition after slashing his neck, he is now being treated at the hospital. The injured included a man from Philippines and a chinese man and woman. Flights were not affected. Many nervous Chinese are speculating on the motive of the attack , with many pointing to a terror attack.

ILL 5

Date:

June Hols Week 3

13th June

10 - 10.30a.m

Source:

http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/education/moe-no-penalty-for-using-singlish-appropriately

What I learnt:

Words that I did not understand:

Nil

Summary: 

MOE has decided that students will not be penalised if they use Singlish appropriately. The ministry said that for formal communication ing general, Singlish should still not be used in its written or spoken form. However, there are exceptions. For example," I have decided to sabo my friend and play a nasty prank on him." Several parents who were interviewed were relieved that their children would not be penalised if they used Singlish appropriately. They said that students were able to express themselves better and Singlish also added a little of colour to the essay. Some, however, noted that some people who are not familiar with the Singaporean culture of using Singlish, may not understand what the Singlish terms mean.

Gabriel Yap Learning Logs

ILL 1

Date:

June Hols Week 2

9 June 2016

5.00 pm - 5.30 pm

Source:

www.straitstimes.com/asia/east-asia/video-hints-japan-abetting-illegal-ivory-trade-conservationists

What I Did:

I decided to read up on some headlines worldwide to increase my general knowledge. I went to the Straits Times website and read this article about the Japanese Government abetting illegal ivory trade and wanted to do a summary of the article. I also wanted to learn some new words in the article. 

What I Learned:

Words I Did Not Understand:

• Abetting - encourage or assist (someone) to do something wrong, in particular, to commit a crime or other offence
• Covertly - without being openly acknowledged or displayed; secretly

Summary:

Conservation activists claim that Japanese Government is abetting ivory-traders who smuggle elephant tusks to China. There were two pieces of evidence,  one a covertly-filmed video, which showed four different ivory traders who showed no hesitation to export ivory illegally to China for money; and two an investigation conducted by an Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) agent. Based on those videos, the activists accuse the Japanese Government of purposely creating loopholes in Japanese law against ivory trading by not making registration of elephant tasks compulsory, if it was not to be sold; and by not requiring registration for cut up pieces of ivory. The ivory traders could easily just cut up the ivory and then sell it, as they were not selling whole elephant tusks and did not need to register for cutting up ivory. This practically reverses China’s efforts to stop ivory trading. Japan’s trade ministry said that authorities are closely monitoring registered traders.

ILL 2

Date:

June Hols Week 2

10 June 2016

11.00 am - 11.30 am

Source:

http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/courts-crime/indonesian-maid-charged-with-murder-of-woman-employer-in-telok-kurau-home

What I Did:

I decided to read up on some headlines worldwide to increase my general knowledge. I went to the Straits Times website and read this article about an Indonesian maid murdering her employer and wanted to do a summary of the article. I also wanted to learn some new words in the article. 

What I Learned:

Words I Did Not Understand:

• Allegedly - used to convey that something is claimed to be the case or have taken place, although there is no proof
• Remanded - place (a defendant) on bail or in custody, especially when a trial is adjourned

Summary:

An Indonesian maid allegedly murdered her female employer at her employer’s semi-detached house, despite working for her for two months. The deceased was found lying on the floor, motionless, by her husband. The suspect and the deceased’s husband were admitted to Changi General Hospital with injuries to their heads and hands; and neck, forehead and leg respectively. A district judge granted the police prosecutor’s request to remand the suspect at Changi Women’s Prison for psychiatric assessment, upon her discharge from hospital. The Indonesian Embassy has appointed a lawyer for the case, as the suspect could face the death penalty if convicted of murder with intention.

ILL 3

Date:

June Hols Week 2

10 June 2016

11.30 am - 12.00 pm

Source:

http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/hfmd-cases-surge-to-near-record-high

What I Did:

I decided to read up on some headlines worldwide to increase my general knowledge. I went to the Straits Times website and read this article about cases of Hand Foot and Mouth Disease (HFMD) in Singapore and wanted to do a summary of the article. I also wanted to learn some new words in the article. 

What I Learned:

Words I Did Not Understand:

• Median - denoting or relating to a value or quantity lying at the midpoint of a frequency distribution of observed values or quantities, such that there is an equal probability of falling above or below it

Summary:

In Singapore, HFMD cases are soaring to near-record numbers, the 18,241 infections exceeded by the 21,102 cases in 2012 only. In contrast, the median number for the same period over the past five years is 8,193 only. At KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, more than 200 children have been hospitalised, according to Associate Professor Chong Chia Yin, a senior infectious disease consultant at KKH. "Most of these children were admitted for fever and poor feeding, mild dehydration or febrile fits due to their high fever. None suffered serious complications," she said. Serious complications from the disease are rare, though if it does happen, the brain, lungs or heart could be damaged. Symptoms of HFMD include fever, ulcers in the mouth and on the tongue, blisters on the hand and feet, poor appetite and lethargy. It may also hurt to drink water, which would cause dehydration.

ILL 4

Date:

June Hols Week 2

10 June 2016

12.00 pm - 12.30 pm

Source:

http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/cutting-internet-access-necessary-to-keep-govt-data-secure-pm-lee

What I Did:

I decided to read up on some headlines worldwide to increase my general knowledge. I went to the Straits Times website and read this article about the Prime Minister announcing that it is necessary to cut internet access to maintain security and wanted to do a summary of the article. I also wanted to learn some new words in the article. 

What I Learned:

Words I Did Not Understand:

• NIL

Summary:

After being advised by security experts, PM Lee decided to cut internet access from public servants’ computers, so that the government database cannot be hacked. Even though public servants have to go through the hassle of using a second computer to access links, PM Lee managed to survive this since the beginning of 2016. Not the entire government will have to adopt this measure, for example,  teachers can still browse the internet as per normal as schools do not have much sensitive information. But the rest of the government, like the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) and the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) who have already been practising this, will have to adopt this practice gradually. 

ILL 5

Date:

June Hols Week 2

10 June 2016

12.30 pm - 1.00 pm

Source:

http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/tpp-game-changer-for-singapore-and-mexico-says-maliki

What I Did:

I decided to read up on some headlines worldwide to increase my general knowledge. I went to the Straits Times website and read this article about the effectiveness of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) between Singapore and Mexico and wanted to do a summary of the article. I also wanted to learn some new words in the article. 

What I Learned:

Words I Did Not Understand:

• Multilateral - agreed upon or participated in by three or more parties, especially the governments of different countries
• Bilateral - having or relating to two sides; affecting both sides
• Inaugural - marking the beginning of an institution, activity, or period of office

Summary:

The TPP, which was signed between 12 countries, including Singapore, Mexico, the United States, Vietnam and Japan, has yet to be ratified. Both Singapore and Mexico are eager for the quick ratification of the first trade pact linking the two countries, as both parties feel that they wanted to make to good use the pact. As both countries see each other as hubs in their respective regions, Singapore wants to show Mexico how important we see them as. On top of that, the Singapore Film Festival is a good way to give Mexicans a glimpse into life in Singapore, as Dr Maliki puts it, “The political and economic links between two countries will plant the seeds of the relationship, but it is cultural interactions that will help the flower bloom.”