I always like to deliberate on my bowl of rice before dinner. The more I think about it, the more unique I find it. It is really something special, something that millions of people grow and harvest as a mean to survive, something that millions of fortunate people like me, eat as a commodity. However, I also realised that it is something that millions of poor and hungry people need to fill up their stomachs.
I understand the how tough it is to be a rice farmer, having to worry about extreme weather destroying one’s crops and harvest, and having to worry about losing one’s livelihood. I could also imagine how pitiful a boy in the developing country could be, being malnourished because he does not have enough nutrients to grow up healthily.
In India, rainfall patterns have shifted in the past five to seven years, “reducing rice production by up to 3 per cent”. Extreme weather conditions like cyclones or droughts are also reducing rice harvests worldwide. In an effort to “fight climate change grain by grain”, scientists worldwide had worked overtime to create and breed new rice varieties that are more resilient to extreme weather, and contains more essential nutrients that humans need, such as zinc and vitamin A.
Taking the viewpoint as a farmer, I would applaud the scientists’ effort and achievements for creating new breeds of rice that are less vulnerable to bad weather, and helping me to secure a better harvest to feed my family. If I was a boy who is suffering malnourishment in a developed country due to the lack of proper food and nutrients, I would be glad that the scientists had created these new breeds of rice that can aid me in my healthy growth. Also, as a Government official of a rice-producing state, I would definitely welcome these new breeds of rice as they would ensure that my rice industry is more stable and can generate more avenues.
However in my opinion, all these acts of conducting in-depth research and using sophisticated technology to create new breeds of rice that are better in quality holds a greater and more meaningful purpose. All these, I believe, reflect a move taken by scientists in wanting to make a more significant and greater difference to the environment and our society, and personally, I think this is a great step-forward for humanity. The use of Science in this case, definitely serves its intrinsic purpose of being “a study of knowledge for the betterment of Mankind”.
Although I might not fully understand the worries of green-groups, such as Greenpeace, of these breeds of transgenic rice “sowing variants in the environment in an unpredictable and uncontrollable way” and causing great damage to the environment, I can definitely read up more to gain a better understanding of this issue.
All in all, I believe we can and should make a difference to the environment, like the scientists, in ways that we can by not wasting food and resources. However, I believe I should start by finishing my bowl of rice before my mum scolds me again.
Labels: English Blog Article
KC...
7:50 AM
Saturday, August 18, 2007
Hey hey! Finished Guitar Exco interview today.. It was really quite scary. Never mind about that, what done cannot be undone. ANYWAY, I got caught in the super heavy rain today, while going to collect the poster that we've done! Fortunately, no damage was done to it. =)
I guess I've not much to say today, there's a lot of work for me to do.. Cya then!
KC...
5:41 PM
Friday, August 17, 2007
Hey.. Sorry for not updating for a few days. I guess it had been VERY hectic for me, given that I've been sleeping consistently at around 1am-4am for my RE (which I'll elaborate later) and History project (which I'm very grateful that I managed to finish in time...).
Our Moot Parliament debates ended on Wednesday 15th August. I guess we really tried our best for it and we're proud of our own efforts. Although, I THOUGHT we didn't do that well at that time. Well.. I guess I thought wrong. Against all odds, we managed to achieve Best Government Team, and Runners-up for Best Bill, and earned the Challenge Trophy for RI! =)
This is a great milestone for myself I guess.. MPP provided me with much invaluable experience that will follow me for the rest of my life. Hope I can work again with my RE team next year! Other than that, I'm happy that I've finished 2 CCTs this week. :)
I guess that's all for my spamming today.. Hope you'll have a nice weekend, and energy to tackle your everyday... (Hope I've the energy to tackle my Guitar Exco interview tmr.. Hmm...)
Cya then!
KC...
10:44 PM
Monday, August 13, 2007
Here's a cool quote that I got today from my friend.. Hope this inspires you.
"Man have enough energy to tackle one day, and that is today. It is the frustrations of the yesterdays and the worries of the tomorrows which cause us to be unable to tackle the only day that we can and should be tackled, that is, today."
KC...
8:45 PM
Thursday, August 9, 2007
I took 48 hours of DMP! (Considered quite little) Reason for this: Wanna take more time to study for EOYs, which I hope I can achieve. Anyway, I just realised how hard it is to combine 2 maps using photoshop. BUT, I did it! :DIf the effort I put in didn't pay off, I'm so gonna do sth about it. Anyway, HAPPY BIRTHDAY SINGAPORE!!! Quite sad that I didn't manage to see the National Day Parade this year.. Went out to eat with my family at Orchidville (I doubt anyone knows where that is.. hehe).That's all for today I guess, thanks for reading my blog.. This few weeks will be tiring and exceptionally stressing, but I'll continue to do my best!
がんばります！
KC...
11:13 PM
Friday, August 3, 2007
Today = X-Country. X-Country = 4.2km of running. 4.2km of running = Fun, but very tiring. (Especially in the HOT HOT HOT sun)
Haha... I think I did quite okay for Cross-country today, given that the weather was really BURNING. However, I think I could've done better to get 1 more point for Morrison! Yea! Anyway, Morrison Debates has been postponed AGAIN to next Tuesday. That is not good, but I've to accept it.. More importantly, these few weeks will be very very busy. History and SS assignment, Chem and Bio CCT, MPP debates! All in a span of 2 weeks. (Y)
Enough of ranting.. I better go study or something.. Bye. =)
KC...
8:39 PM
Thursday, August 2, 2007
YAY. I'm in Interact Club! Finally joined it, after missing the recruitment drive in February.. Anyway, thanks for reading my (dead) blog. It was about 20 days since i posted eh? HMMMM... Sorry for the short post, it'll increase in quality and quantity soon. =)
KC...
10:57 PM
