I think we should be responsible for our obesity.
For some people, their parents were obese. As a result, when given birth, the traits might be passed down to the child and the child might be obese. To avoid this, the parents could have actually try to get a healthy and strong body before wanting a child as they might pass their obesity traits down to their child. However, even if the child is born obese, he or she can exercise regularly to become strong and healthy.
Have you ever noticed how the candy racks in the supermarkets are right at the eye level of toddlers? Do you think this is an accident? We have all seen little children screaming at the top of their lungs in the grocery store because they cannot have that candy bar that is positioned right in front of their face. Now, we know that the child did not set up that candy bar rack. We also know that the child's parents did not do it. So who's responsible?
Its the people that owns the supermarkets. They place it in a way as such everyone can take notice of it. Once a child's taste buds has tasted the heavenly taste junk food and sweets, we can see why the child refuses to eat.
It does not matter where you look, as people are constantly bombarded by images of unhealthy foods and snacks. Television commercials, billboards, magazine advertisements, the list goes on and on. Who can resist the temptation on trying those unhealthy food that sizzles when cooking shown on the television? Who can resist the temptation on trying those unhealthy food being described as heavenly and good tasting on the advertisements? Not many have the will, determination and control over themselves to resist. Most people will give in to their temptation in the end and will become obese after eating all these unhealthy food.
In conclusion, actually, it can be seen that we should be responsible for our own obesity as it is the control and the determination to restrain yourself from eating the unhealthy food. Obese already? We can have the determination to get a healthy and strong body by exercising regularly.
Singapore may get
nuclear power plant
The article that I
have just read is titled “Singapore may get nuclear power plant”. In this
review, I would be summarizing the article and giving my opinions. This article
is written on Tuesday, November 02, 2010.
This article is
about a speech delivered by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Monday, November
01, 2010. He was delivering the Singapore Energy Lecture for the first time at
the Suntec Ballroom where he described nuclear energy as essential to solve mankind’s
energy problems. He said that Singapore should prepare herself for the use of
nuclear energy should this become feasible and necessary in the future. He
added on that this idea should not be dismissed in Singapore despite some
problems faced such as the small size of Singapore The population would be
nowhere far from the nuclear plant and thus safety issues may rise. He said
that many countries are now interested in getting energy from nuclear power
plant as natural resources such as fossil fuels are limited. Using nuclear
energy may be the best way to solve this problem. Mr Lee added that Singapore
should prepare some experts specializing in this area so as to analyse
carefully whether nuclear power development is feasible in Singapore. Singapore
would then also learn from the experience of other countries and decide on this
idea’s feasibility. Singapore has not much alternatives to producing energy as
the conditions may not be suitable, therefore, this has put Singapore at a
disadvantage. Lastly, Mr Lee added that the use of nuclear energy in Singapore
may possibly happen in his lifetime, which means to say, maybe in the next 10
to 30 years, Singapore may be relying on nuclear energy.
I think that the use
of nuclear energy in Singapore is not a good idea. Nuclear energy is a very
dangerous, especially to countries like Singapore. Singapore is a very small
country. It stretches only for 40 kilometres from East to West. Putting a
nuclear power plant in Singapore may endanger the lives of many people. If a
nuclear power plant is built, it has to be near the population since Singapore
is so small. A nuclear power plant may experience problems at any time. If the
problem is a very bad one, the results are unthinkable. The whole of Singapore
would be affected by it. Not only the humans will be affected, the animals and
plants will be affected too. Even the neighbouring countries such as Malaysia
may be affected by it. A nuclear power plant operates by relying on harnessing
nuclear fission—the splitting of an atom into two smaller atoms, which also
yields heat and sends neutrons flying. If another atom absorbs one of those
neutrons, the atom becomes unstable and undergoes fission itself, releasing
more heat and more neutrons. The chain reaction becomes self-sustaining,
producing a steady supply of heat to boil water, drive steam turbines and
thereby generate electricity. In a case of a nuclear meltdown, the fuel rods
retain a lot of heat.
If the rest of the reactor is operating, pumps will continue
to circulate coolant to carry away the reactor core's heat. Without a steady
coolant supply, a hot reactor core will continuously boil off the water
surrounding it until the fuel is no longer immersed. If fuel rods remain
uncovered, they may begin to melt, and hot, radioactive fuel can pool at the
bottom of the vessel containing the reactor. If the problem is very bad, the
puddle of hot fuel could melt through the steel containment vessel and through
subsequent barriers meant to contain the nuclear material. Therefore, massive
quantities of radioactivity would be exposed to the environment. Imagine that
if Singapore has a nuclear power plant and a nuclear meltdown occurs, and the
coolant does not circulate, huge amount of radioactivity may flow out and it
will be exposed to the environment. Exposing humans to massive amount of
radioactivity is extremely dangerous. A lot of deaths may occur and Singapore
will suffer. An example would be the Chernobyl incident which happened in 1986.
A power surge had caused an explosion in one of the plant's reactors, releasing
huge doses of radioactive fallout into the air. Two plant workers died within
hours, according to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, 28 more died in the
following months from radiation poisoning. A report from the United Nations
Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation found that 6,000
individuals who were under the age of 18 in Ukraine, Belarus or Russia at the
time of the disaster, by 2006, had contracted thyroid cancer. They contracted the disease most likely due
to radiation exposure. The aftermath of a nuclear meltdown is really
unthinkable. Radiation is not something instant; it is a thing that sometimes
continues for years, which will result in more casualties. Once a nuclear
disaster happens, the people may not trust nuclear power.
Citizens may disagree to the usage of nuclear power plants
as they want themselves to be safe and healthy. There may be public disorders
if the government does not stop the usage of nuclear power plants by then. Yes,
when people hear that nuclear power is an impressive source of energy, they
shout for joy. However, when accidents happen, their impressions would be
totally the opposite. The worry now is that without nuclear energy, the world
cannot make sufficient progress in dealing with global warming. The problem is,
if we cannot even find a safer method for harnessing nuclear energy, I think
the world would have problems dealing with nuclear accidents rather than the
global warming. The condition would be worse than that of global warming. Even
if we cannot find a 100% safe way to harness nuclear energy, at least we can
improve on the safe usage of nuclear energy so that the risk of a nuclear
accident is minimized to its smallest. Maybe a new and safe method can be
invented to obtain more energy efficiently and is environmentally-friendly. I
strongly think that Singapore should withdraw her decision of giving the green
light of building a nuclear power plant. We should keep up with new
developments, technologies for smaller and safer reactors, with more fuel-efficient
designs that reduce the amount of waste produced, and learn from the experience
from other countries. Preparations can be made, but decisions should not be
taken too quickly.
As a citizen of
Singapore, I would really disagree with the building of power plant, even if
there is a safer way for the harnessing of nuclear energy. I feel that it is
just too risky for our high urban density. I would only agree to it if a 100%
safe way is found to harness nuclear energy. This review is mainly about the
summary of the article, my opinion on it, and facts about nuclear power plant
and nuclear energy, and some real examples of nuclear power accidents. In
conclusion, nuclear energy is dangerous and needs to be considered carefully
before attempting to use it.
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