Tsunami: Mangroves 'saved lives'

Dear Sec 3 pupils,

As this week we're studying natural vegetation, I thought I'll put these articles for your reading pleasure. This article is about the importance of Mangroves. It's an interesting read. It helps you understand why we need to protect our mangrove forests because they can saves lives. The detail article can be found here.

Another similar article about how mangroves offers protection can be found here. I'll put a short excerpt for you.

"Ecologists tell us that mangroves provide double protection – the first layer of red mangroves with their flexible branches and tangled roots hanging in the coastal waters absorb the first shock waves. The second layer of tall black mangroves than operates like a wall withstanding much of the sea’s fury. Mangroves in addition absorb more carbon dioxide per unit area than ocean phytoplankton, a critical factor in global warming."

"If only the mangroves were intact, the damage from tsunami would have been greatly minimized. It happened earlier in Bangladesh. In 1960, a tsunami wave hit the coast in an area where mangroves were intact. There was not a single human loss. These mangroves were subsequently cut down and replaced with shrimp farms. In 1991, thousands of people were killed when a tsunami of the same magnitude hit the same region. In Tamilnadu, in south India, Pichavaram and Muthupet with dense mangroves suffered low human casualties and less economic damage from the Dec.26 tsunami. Earlier, the famed mangroves of Bhiterkanika in Orissa (which also serve as the breeding ground for the olive-ridley turtles) had reduced the impact of the ‘super cyclone’ that had struck in Oct 1999, killing over 10,000 people and rendering millions homeless."

Recode

I was reading this book 'How to Teach so Students Remember' and would like to share one of the strategies called 'recoding'. Recoding is the ability to take information from different sources and generate it in your own language. According to the author, self-generated material is better recalled. That is why I've already told all of you during my first lesson that one of the important way to score is dependent on your memory power. You must find ways to increase your memory capacity and one method is to use note-making tools to help you. Use your own language to make notes for your own understanding. So.. don't procrastinate! Start making your own notes in your own language. For the 4N pupils, I've introduced you to flow maps to help understand concepts that involve cause and effect. Remember we drew the different development indicators? For the 3E pupils, I've introduced you tables to categorise the factors affecting natural vegetation?

I'll like to end this post with what S.I. Hayakawa said in his book, Language in Thought and Action, "You don't know anything clearly unless you can state it in writing".

Brunei wants to be among world's top 10 countries

The Straits Times, Jan 22, 2008

Development plan sets high targets for per capita income and quality of life
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN - BRUNEI, which already boasts one of the highest per capita incomes in Asia, wants to vault into the world's top 10, according to a long-range government development plan.
At the weekend, the oil-rich nation unveiled its 'Wawasan Brunei 2035' plan, which calls for better implementation of development initiatives in order to accelerate economic growth.
It identifies tourism as a potential revenue generator and calls for improvements in transport and communications infrastructure and greater investment in research and development, according to an executive summary of the 'Brunei Darussalam Long-Term Development Plan'.
The country is aiming for a 'dynamic and sustainable economy with income per capita within the top 10 in the world', the summary says.
The government also wants Brunei to have a quality of life that is among the world's top 10 nations, it says.
On tourism, the government has set a goal of increasing by at least 7 per cent a year the number of tourists staying in paid accommodation, with an immediate target of 50 to 60 per cent average hotel occupancy this year.
The report also calls for a 50 per cent increase in tourism-related employment by 2010.
It says the transport and communication sector will focus on improving infrastructure, with emphasis on reducing travel time and opening up access within the country.
Another important feature of the initial six-year plan is research and development.
Observers say the government has been debating how to secure its economic future amid dwindling oil and gas resources.
Brunei is the third-largest oil producer in South-east Asia, after Indonesia and Malaysia, and the world's fourth-largest producer of liquefied natural gas, according to the Brunei Yearbook 2007, which says reserves are expected to last for at least two more decades based on current production rates.
The government's long range plan says economic progress has been inconsistent.
It says a delay in implementing development projects has contributed to lower economic growth, limiting effectiveness of the government's fiscal stimulus strategy.
Brunei's government has allocated 9.5 billion Brunei dollars (S$9.5 billion) to implement the initial six years of its long-range plan, the Borneo Bulletin on Sunday quoted Mr Kamis Tamin, permanent secretary in the Prime Minister's Office, as saying.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

Human Development Trends 2005

Dear 4N pupils,

If you've read my welcome note, I've already told you that I'll put some interesting websites for your learning pleasure. You MUST take a look at this interactive presentation of human development trends. It's so captivating that I took about an hour to explore the data and admiring the moving graphic. Do take a look because it shows you the economic, social and health indicators of the DCs and the LDCs. Initially the graph may look confusing, persevere and be patient. Spend a little time more studying the graphs and they'll all make sense. Enjoy!

First Online Assignment for 3EA and 3EB

For 3EA and 3EB, the first online assignment is for you to do the questions found on this website:
Exploring Earth. Do questions from page 1 to 10. Marks for this online assignment will be used as part of your CA.

Instructions to submit the answers:

1. Log in to the school E-Learning portal

2. Click 'Assessment'

3. Click 'Humanities'

4. Click 'Exploring Earth'

5. You may begin your task

Deadline is 1 February 2008.

Welcome to "My Geography World"

Dear CCSS pupils,

This blog is created to give you some extra information on the lessons we learnt in class. Sometimes I found some wonderful IT resources that will really aid learning, however, I've very little time in school to show you, so I've decided to create a blog to update you some of the goodies that are available for you. I welcome you on board on our learning journey to discover more about "My Geography World".