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After reading about how China doesn’t issue warnings for earthquakes below 7.0 magnitude,I feel that one day an earthquake which is not issued might cause the destruction and death of many people

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To me, International Friendship Day is a great event to bring people from various countries, religions and race together to celebrate their unity.

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From my understanding, International Friendship Day is an important event to me as it lets countries over the world have the chance to shine and let others recognize them!

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1) International Friendship Day means to me was friendship between people,  countries, cultures and individuals can inspire efforts and bulid bridges between communities based on the environment.
2) International Friendship Day is important because friends is important in our lives.
3) We must always have friends to talk to and have a chit-chat with your friends that you can talk.

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I feel sad for the people who have lost their loved ones during the disaster.

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I think that it’s a very good idea to have flying cars around so in the future when people get their flying licence or something it is more convenient to travel.

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International Friendship Day as its name implies, encapsulates the idea of forming ties from around the world regardless of our differences, whether it'd be religion or race. In my opinion, it is a day to remind us to love each other and that despite what part of the world we may be from, we are all human and capable of loving and feeling love. It's this intrinsinc ties that should bond us together, and we should all unite together to make the world a more peaceful place.

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I feel sad for the people in Johor.

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It is a celebration of different countries and races coming together to form peaceful relationships. For example, Singapore is a multi racial country and have been maintaining harmony for more than fifty years.

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I think it’s great that Singapore is trying to be a green country

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I feel proud to be in the country as we have been through so much but never gave up in spite of difficulties.

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International Friendship Day is important because it cultivates good relationships between countries and also tells us about how each country’s independence should not be jeopardised and broken and if there is any problems to be resolved, do it in a peaceful way.

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International friendship days is a good thing as people get to know eachother better and make more friends to create a more peaceful environment 

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International friendship days is a good thing as people get to know eachother better and make more friends to create a more peaceful environment 

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International friendship day shows me many different cultures people to come together and celebrate

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I think that it is great that Singapore is taking safety measures during this difficult time for all of us to keep us safe.

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I think it's good that we are slowly opening our little island again to let people in and out of here and also the rule about wearing masks are optional so that people can breathe again

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international friendship day is a day where we are reminded to respect everyone’s races and cultures despite from where they come from and where they are 🤷‍♀️

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i think this article shows that we should be nice and kind to others and i see that we have to show respect to our friends

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International friendship day is a day for us to celebrate our friendships.

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international day means that everyone of different races will unite together as one with peace and harmony

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International Friendship Day is a day where we celebrate our friends and the bond between us no matter the difference in background, religion, skin colour.

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International Friendship Day: Diplomacy, Debate & Dialogue

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International Friendship Day: Diplomacy, Debate & Dialogue

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Click on the link to read the article.

Choose one of the following reflection questions:
1) What does International Friendship Day mean to me?
2) Why is International Friendship day important?
3) Choose one of the articles in the ST IN. What's one thing that you would like to do/  act upon after reading this special issue?

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https://aes-hums-read.blogspot.com/2022/03/4-dead-after-74-magnitude-earthquake.html?m=1
I felt worried for the safety for those 100 injured after the 7.4 magnitude, initially 7.3 magnitude, earthquake struck the coast of Japan’s Fukushima prefecture

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4 dead after 7.4-magnitude earthquake hits coast off Japan’s Fukushima prefecture

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Tokyo (CNN) A 7.4-magnitude earthquake hit eastern Japan late Wednesday night, killing at least four people and injuring over 100 others, ...

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Copy and paste the URL link of your chosen article

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Fret not. Post your thoughts in this column with a link to your article. The teachers will help you reorganise. 

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Fret not. Post your thoughts in this column with a link to your article. The teachers will help you reorganise. 

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New York Times removes slammed 'Singaporean Chicken Curry' video, clarifies recipe after complaints

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New York Times removes slammed 'Singaporean Chicken Curry' video, clarifies recipe after complaints

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"The video didn't do justice to Ms. (Shila) Das's family dish or to her Lunar New Year tradition," wrote the American news outlet on the NYT Cooking Instagram account.

(Photo: NYT Cooking instagram)

Ten days ago on Feb 1, the New York Times (NYT) started a local furore when it uploaded a "Singaporean Chicken Curry" recipe on its NYT Cooking site.

The end result in the video was pale, grey and starkly different from the many different vibrant curries that are available in multi-cultural Singapore.

After a slew of comments that ranged from "That's not curry. That's drain water" to "This is an insult to curry", NYT has responded by removing the video and clarifying the recipe.

NYTCooking wrote on their Instagram on Friday (Feb 11): "Last week we shared a video of a chicken recipe adapted from a home cook from Singapore. The video demonstration didn't faithfully follow the recipe, which was adapted by Clarissa Wei from Shila Das, and it also should have been prepared as part of Ms. Das's Nasi Biryani recipe. As a result, the video didn't do justice to Ms. Das's family dish or to her Lunar New Year tradition. After hearing your feedback, we've removed the video, and we have clarified the recipe. We're appreciative of your response."

The online community has praised NYT for the move, leaving several positive comments on the social media post since it was uploaded.

Comments include "Kudos for taking ownership of a mistake", "I'm happy that you took steps to correct this..." and "Good job making the fix".

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New York Times removes slammed 'Singaporean Chicken Curry' video, clarifies recipe after complaints

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"The video didn't do justice to Ms. (Shila) Das's family dish or to her Lunar New Year tradition," wrote the American news outlet on the NYT Cooking Instagram account. (Photo: NYT Cooking instagram) Ten days ago on Feb 1, the New York Times (NYT) started a local furore when it uploaded a "Singaporean Chicken Curry" recipe on its NYT Cooking site.

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Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment

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First batch of Temasek Rice grown in the community harvested in Tampines

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First batch of Temasek Rice grown in the community harvested in Tampines

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SINGAPORE - The made-in-Singapore Temasek Rice, a hardy and climate resistant grain variety, has been harvested in the community for the first time as part of a pilot to tackle threats to the country's food supply.

The harvesting of the rice at a vertical high-tech farm along a wall at Block 146 Tampines Avenue 5 took place on Saturday (Feb 12).

For now, the rice will only be used for research and development purposes by Temasek Life Sciences Laboratory (TLL), which will further study how to grow crops in urban farm settings. The pilot is supported by Tampines Town Council, Temasek Foundation and TLL.

Welcoming the initiative, Ms Cheng Li Hui, chairman of Tampines Town Council, said: "Singapore is heavily reliant on food imports and faces the risk of supply disruptions."

Ms Cheng, who was present at the rice harvesting ceremony, added: "For many years, Tampines has committed itself to being a living laboratory for the latest technologies and solutions in sustainable developments. I am heartened to see the progress we have made in food sustainability."

Temasek Rice was first germinated in TLL's greenhouses, before being transferred and transplanted in October last year to the vertical farm at Block 146.

The rice has also been grown in Tasikmalaya, Indonesia, for commercial sale since 2016.

At the Tampines high-tech farm, precision drip irrigation is used to deliver water and nutrients to the rice's root zone in suitable amounts so that each stalk can grow optimally.

It usually takes 2,500 litres of water to produce 1kg of rice grown in a paddy field.

But the use of precision drip irrigation can reduce the amount of water needed to grow the same quantity of rice to 750 litres, said Mr Daniel Wong, director of technology at Netatech, the sustainable technology firm managing the farm.

Temasek Rice in particular requires less water to grow and is able to thrive for two weeks without water.

Besides Temasek Rice, leafy vegetables like nai bai and bayam spinach are also grown at the Tampines vertical farm.

Every month, the farm yields 165kg of produce, which can cover 30 per cent of the monthly vegetable needs of 103 families.

This will bring Singapore closer to its goal of producing 30 per cent of its own food by 2030.

Mr Lim Hock Chuan, chief executive of Temasek Foundation Liveability, said: "We hope that projects such as this will breathe new life into farming, making full use of urban vertical spaces to bring benefits to the community."

This article was originally published on 12 February 2022. Its inclusion on this website is solely for education purposes.

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First batch of Temasek Rice grown in the community harvested in Tampines

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SINGAPORE - The made-in-Singapore Temasek Rice, a hardy and climate resistant grain variety, has been harvested in the community for the first time as part of a pilot to tackle threats to the country's food supply. The harvesting of the rice at a vertical high-tech farm along a wall at Block 146 Tampines Avenue 5 took place on Saturday (Feb 12).

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How the war shaped me: Remembering the fall of S'pore, 80 years on

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How the war shaped me: Remembering the fall of S'pore, 80 years on

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In his footballing heyday, Mr Chia Boon Leong was known as "twinkletoes" for the way he danced around opponents with ease.

That ability to skirt danger was honed as a teenager growing up in war-torn Singapore, where he continued to play football, often in Jalan Besar Stadium and at a field behind the Singapore General Hospital, near his family home in Tiong Bahru.

He was a founding member of Pasir Panjang Rovers - having grown up in the area - a cosmopolitan team that played only friendly matches before the war as multi-ethnic teams were not allowed in the Singapore Amateur Football Association's leagues.

'It was sizzling and turning': 82-year-old recalls bomb that dropped through roof during WWII

Forty years after the end of World War II in September 1945, a 0.5m-wide bomb-shaped hole still remained on the roof of a communal house in Everton Road in Outram Park.

Nobody had the will to fix it, and it had become a curious memorial to a time when Singapore faced almost daily air raids by the Japanese.

In the house, those who were old enough to understand were quickly introduced to it, and it attracted the young and old to now and then look upon it and reminisce.

Trauma of World War II led to a life dedicated to defence of family and country

When Mr Tommy Wong's father was released after being jailed by the Japanese for two years during World War II, Mr Wong, who was four years old then, could not recognise him.

His father, who had been caught distributing flyers to resist the Occupation, had been tortured behind bars in Pudu Prison in Kuala Lumpur.

Mr Wong, now 83, told The Sunday Times: "When my family went to get him when he was finally released, I stood there and I said, this is not my father - he had lost so much weight. He was haggard, just skin and bones.

New virtual exhibition examines role of sport in S'pore during Japanese Occupation

Demoralised after Singapore fell and was occupied by the Japanese in 1942, prisoners of war (POW) interned in Changi prison camp sought solace in sport.

Even behind prison gates, traditional sporting rivalries between the British and the Australians endured, and sports such as rugby, boxing, basketball and football were played, giving the defeated soldiers a morale boost and a chance to prove themselves.

Sport historian Nick Aplin said that for these POWs, sport and competing against those of other nations helped them to assert their identities.

Come Tuesday (Feb 15), a new virtual exhibition put up by Sport Singapore (SportSG) will be launched. It is based on content from Dr Aplin's 2019 book, Sport In Singapore: The Colonial Legacy.

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How the war shaped me: Remembering the fall of S'pore, 80 years on

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In his footballing heyday, Mr Chia Boon Leong was known as "twinkletoes" for the way he danced around opponents with ease. That ability to skirt danger was honed as a teenager growing up in war-torn Singapore, where he continued to play football, often in Jalan Besar Stadium and at a field behind the Singapore General Hospital, near his family home in Tiong Bahru.

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James Dyson Foundation invests $3m to inspire more young engineers in Singapore

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James Dyson Foundation invests $3m to inspire more young engineers in Singapore

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SINGAPORE - Students from primary to tertiary level can expect to tap a slew of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (Stem) educational activities supported by a $3 million investment from the James Dyson Foundation.

Announced on Thursday (Jan 27), the donation will also fund multidisciplinary engineering facilities in Singapore universities and a mentorship scheme with Dyson engineers here. The tech firm's global headquarters are in Singapore.

To date, the charitable foundation started by British inventor James Dyson has donated more than $235 million to design, technology and engineering education and work worldwide.

More than 100,000 students aged six to 25 stand to benefit from collaborations between the foundation and the Ministry of Education, Science Centre Singapore and education institutions under the latest investment.

Learning resources, for instance, will help children appreciate the value of engineering in tackling global issues such as air pollution.

Over the next five years, the foundation will roll out the resources to 50 primary and secondary schools.

The foundation will also launch an engineering innovation studio at the Singapore University of Technology and Design - a 6,200 sq ft space where the university's students can work on Dyson technology projects.

Dyson has a similar studio with Nanyang Technological University, in a collaboration that will continue for the next five years.

By March, aspiring scientists and engineers can expect to see Dyson products and philosophies at Science Centre Singapore under the foundation's partnership with the centre.

Among the technologies featured is the Dyson Hyperdymium motor co-developed in Singapore.

Mr Shawn Teng, 51, who has two teenage sons, said he looks forward to more Dyson educational activities that will help inspire students in Singapore to explore engineering fields.

His 15-year-old son, who attends St Hilda's Secondary School, was among the Secondary 3 students who participated in a scientific thinking programme to find solutions to air pollution last year.

This pilot programme by the school and the foundation exposed his son to the process of brainstorming, prototyping and selling a solution under the programme and helped him see the fun and exciting side of being an engineer, said the retired chief executive of a logistics firm.

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James Dyson Foundation invests $3m to inspire more young engineers in Singapore

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SINGAPORE - Students from primary to tertiary level can expect to tap a slew of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (Stem) educational activities supported by a $3 million investment from the James Dyson Foundation. Announced on Thursday (Jan 27), the donation will also fund multidisciplinary engineering facilities in Singapore universities and a mentorship scheme with Dyson engineers here.

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Flying car cleared for takeoff, but you'll need a pilot's license

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Flying car cleared for takeoff, but you'll need a pilot's license

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Will we be flying soon?

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The "AirCar" was awarded an official Certificate of Airworthiness by the Slovak Transport Authority after completing 70 hours of "rigorous flight testing," according to Klein Vision, the company behind the "dual-mode car-aircraft vehicle."

The test flights - which included more than 200 takeoffs and landings - were compatible with European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) standards, the company said in a press release on Monday.

"The challenging flight tests included the full range of flight and performance maneuvers and demonstrated an astonishing static and dynamic stability in the aircraft mode," the company said.

A spokesperson for Klein Vision told CNN that a pilot license is required to fly the hybrid vehicle, and added that the company hopes to have the "AirCar" commercially available within 12 months.

A team of eight specialists clocked up more than 100,000 hours converting design concepts into mathematical models that led to the prototype's production. The "AirCar" is powered by a 1.6L BMW engine, andruns on "fuel sold at any gas station," Anton Zajac, co-founder of Klein Vision, said in a statement to CNN.

The vehicle can fly at a maximum operating altitude of 18,000 feet, Zajac added.

In June, the flying car completed a 35-minute test flight between airports in Nitra and the capital Bratislava in Slovakia. After landing, the aircraft converted into a car and was driven to the city center.

"AirCar certification opens the door for mass production of very efficient flying cars," said test pilot Stefan Klein, the car's inventor and leader of the development team.

Kyriakos Kourousis, chair of the Royal Aeronautical Society's Airworthiness & Maintenance Specialist Group, told CNN that "this is not the first time that similar types of vehicles have been certified."

"If the company which is involved in the certification, has made the business case, this will progress in creating a product that can reach the market," Kourousis said.

He added, "It's the scale that's going to create a lot of new opportunities for employment and for new technologies to be developed."

Other vehicles in development include the PAL-V Liberty, a gyroplane that doubles as a road vehicle, from Netherlands-based company PAL-V. The vehicle was given a full certification basis by the EASA, but is yet to complete the final "compliance demonstration" stage, according to the Dutch firm's website.

Similarly, US-based firm Terrafugia obtained an FAA Special Light-Sport Aircraft (LSA) airworthiness Certificate for its Transition vehicle - which allows users to drive and fly - according to a press release last January.

Kourousis added that vehicles like the "AirCar" could one day replace helicopters.

"The choice of an internal combustion engine for the propulsion system of this vehicle has been most probably made to rely on proven technology," Kourousis said. "The environmental impact can be substantial if the utilization of such vehicles is scaled up, especially in urban settings."

"I do believe we will see full electric or at least hybrid vehicles of this, or similar kind, in the near future, contributing to our environmental sustainability targets."

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Flying car cleared for takeoff, but you'll need a pilot's license

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The "AirCar" was awarded an official Certificate of Airworthiness by the Slovak Transport Authority after completing 70 hours of "rigorous flight testing," according to Klein Vision, the company behind the "dual-mode car-aircraft vehicle." The test flights - which included more than 200 takeoffs and landings - were compatible with European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) standards, the company said in a press release on Monday.

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'All 2,000 cucumbers died': Shortage of vegetables, durians from Johor as crops destroyed by floods and heat

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'All 2,000 cucumbers died': Shortage of vegetables, durians from Johor as crops destroyed by floods and heat

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"From last year (2021) onwards, we started to see how unpredictable the weather has become. And over the last month, the weather has truly epitomised what I have read about climate change," he told CNA.

At the start of the new year, many parts of the southern state of Johor saw torrential downpour, leading to floods that displaced thousands of residents.

The floods also hit many farms, destroying crops and impacting the livelihoods of many in the industry.

However, what has perplexed many farmers is how this period of intense and heavy rain has been followed by warmer weather in the last two to three weeks, with lower rainfall across the state.

Between Dec 26 and Jan 1, at the height of the Johor floods, data released by the Johor Department of Irrigation and Drainage showed that the city of Johor Bahru had 1,448mm of rainfall, according to Malaysian media reports.

In comparison, Johor Bahru recorded 515.3mm of rainfall between Jan 1 and Jan 27, according to estimates on weather.com

The average maximum temperature in the area was 30.6 degrees Celsius between Dec 26 and Jan 1. This edged up to 31.8 degrees Celsius between Jan 1 and Jan 27.

The period between November and March is synonymous with the northeast monsoon, which usually leads to heavy rain in many areas of peninsular Malaysia. Hence the recent spate of warm weather has caught many farmers by surprise.

"The floods have of course destroyed many crops," said Mr Thiagarajan.

"But the last two weeks of no rain and high temperatures have been just as bad. I planted 2,000 cucumbers and all of them died because of the heat," he added.

Mr Thiagarajan explained that some of his okra and long beans died from excessive rain in late December. But he maintained that this pales in comparison to the losses sustained due to the warmer and drier weather in January.

He estimates that he may have lost around 10,000kg of cucumber due to the warm weather, with a financial loss of around RM8,000 (US$1,909).

He is not alone. Other farmers in Johor have echoed similar sentiments. They told CNA that erratic weather between late December and early January has led to produce shortages at an inopportune time, amid rising demand for fruits and vegetables ahead of Chinese New Year next week.

Mr Mad Zin Abdullah, who owns a durian plantation in Kampung Tengah in Segamat, told CNA that his crop yield in December was "washed away" by the flood water which infected the roots of many of his trees.

Segamat was among the worst-hit areas when floods hit Johor in early January.

"The floodwater was this high," said Mr Mad Zin pointing to his chest.

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'All 2,000 cucumbers died': Shortage of vegetables, durians from Johor as crops destroyed by floods and heat

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"From last year (2021) onwards, we started to see how unpredictable the weather has become. And over the last month, the weather has truly epitomised what I have read about climate change," he told CNA. At the start of the new year, many parts of the southern state of Johor saw torrential downpour, leading to floods that displaced thousands of residents.

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Fort Siloso on Sentosa to be gazetted a national monument

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Fort Siloso on Sentosa to be gazetted a national monument

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Fort Siloso on Sentosa to be gazetted a national monument

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1 of 3 Now an historical attraction, the fort was constructed in 1878. ST PHOTO: DESMOND WEE Ng Keng Gene PUBLISHED JAN 18, 2022, 4:35...

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Huge Tonga volcanic eruption caused 'significant damage'

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Huge Tonga volcanic eruption caused 'significant damage'

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Huge Tonga volcanic eruption caused ‘significant damage’

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Dramatic images from space showed the moment the eruption sent a mushroom of smoke and ash into the air. (Photo: AFP/NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF I...

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Tonga tsunami: Before and after eruption

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Tonga tsunami: Before and after eruption

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The massive volcanic eruption and tsunami in Tonga has caused catastrophic damage, with homes destroyed and many communities covered in a thick layer of ash.
The Tongan government says the country has been hit by an "unprecedented disaster".

Communications with Tonga have been severely disrupted.

Satellite images and aerial photographs show the scale of the destruction.

The single undersea cable connecting Tonga to the outside world was severed in the eruption.

The port in the capital, Nuku'alofa on the main island of Tongatapu, has been severely damaged, with many buildings near the waterfront completely flattened.

Reports from the area say 56 houses were completely or seriously damaged, and that the residents have been moved to evacuation centres.

There is also growing concern for residents of smaller, low-lying islands to the north of Tongatapu.

New Zealand is sending two ships, HMNZS Wellington and HMNZS Aotearoa, to the area with water supplies, survey teams and a helicopter.

Little appears to be left of Hunga-Tonga-Hunga-Ha'apai, where the volcanic eruption happened on Saturday. Satellite images show only a small amount of land remains above water.

This article was originally published on BBCNews

Its inclusion on this website is solely for education purposes.

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Tonga tsunami: Before and after eruption

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The massive volcanic eruption and tsunami in Tonga has caused catastrophic damage, with homes destroyed and many communities covered in a thick layer of ash. The Tongan government says the country has been hit by an "unprecedented disaster". Communications with Tonga have been severely disrupted.

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Copy and paste the URL link of your chosen article

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YOU CAN

1. Share your thoughts regarding the article(s) you have read!

Suggested Thinking Routines for Your Posts:

What are your thoughts about this article/ initiative? Why do you say so?

What do you SEE (notice) from the article(s)? / What do you THINK? / What is 1 thing you WONDER about with regards to this article?

2. Share relevant photos/videos/ additional articles related to the topic in discussion!

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Man who didn't want to lose $100 work incentive jailed for refusing sick leave, Covid-19 swab test

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Man who didn't want to lose $100 work incentive jailed for refusing sick leave, Covid-19 swab test

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Man who didn't want to lose $100 work incentive jailed for refusing sick leave, Covid-19 swab test

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A Rahim M. Taha arriving at the State Courts on Dec 7, 2021. ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG Osmond Chia UPDATED 10 HOURS AGO Facebook Twitter SIN...

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I think it’s great that we are sharing our resources to fight against the pandemic together. all of us are having a hard time and some would just care about themselves so this is very wholesome news to hear esp now

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SINGAPORE: Singapore will send 500,000 doses of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to Australia as part of a "dose sharing" agreement, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) on Tuesday (Aug 31).

Under the deal, Australia will send the same quantity of vaccines back to Singapore in December, according to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in a Facebook post.

The half a million doses that Singapore is sending will come from its existing stock and the country has enough to meet its current needs, said MFA. The ministry added that the returned doses later in the year would potentially be used as booster shots for "specific segments" of Singapore's population that could benefit from such boosting.

"This arrangement will enable both countries to support each other in optimising our respective schedules for vaccinating our populations against COVID-19," said MFA.

"(It) will help Australia accelerate its vaccination programme amidst its current increase in cases caused by the Delta variant."

MFA also said that Singapore is grateful to Pfizer and BioNTech for assisting to facilitate the dose sharing arrangement.

In his Facebook post, Mr Lee lauded the move as another example of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between both countries.

"Glad to support their efforts to get Australians vaccinated as soon as possible," said Mr Lee.

"Countries must be united in the battle to quell the pandemic, so that we can all move into the new normal. Singapore is ready to do our bit."

According to ABC News, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said that the doses would be received this week, and rolled out across Australia from next week, to be shared equally with all states and territories on the basis of population.

"We need to vaccinate the whole country and we need for those doses to go from one end of the country to the other and for them to be taken up," he said.

The move would assist Australia's national vaccination programme with inoculating two age groups - those aged 16 to 29, and those aged 12 to 15, ABC News quoted Mr Morrison as saying.

1. WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS

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Singapore will send 500,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses to Australia, same amount to be returned in December

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SINGAPORE: Singapore will send 500,000 doses of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to Australia as part of a "dose sharing" agreement, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) on Tuesday (Aug 31). Under the deal, Australia will send the same quantity of vaccines back to Singapore in December, according to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in a Facebook post.