Term 2 Lesson 2: War - A personal Response

A sense of desperation fills the air as the soldiers, dead and alive were left on the floor. Almost all were injured, but they are still defending their fort from the enemy. They had faces of anguish and pain. a common sight for soldiers and civilians around that region. Out of fear of the enemy, one of them rose slowly but steadily because of his injuries. Peering from a makeshift wall which was damaged by penetrating bullets, he carefully rose. Checking the surroundings, he was relieved to see that not one single enemy could be seen. However, relief soon turned into horror when he saw his soul-less friends lying on the floor next to him. The rifle on his already dead friend reminded him of the times when they fought side by side together. Even when his friend died, he was still clutching on to his rifle. Tears welled up his eyes as he took one last good look at his friend, his comrade on the battlefield. Looking away, he suddenly noticed the many holes in the ground caused by ruthless bombers. Dead bodies were strewn all over the place and blood seemed to dye the brown earth. Now, the smell of death lingers in the battlefield, joining desperation on its quest to torment the still living soldiers. The memories, haunting the lives of the survivors for eternity.

Does nuclear energy still have a part to play in the world?

Nuclear power is the usable energy which is extracted from the atomic nuclei through controlled nuclear reactions with the help of nuclear technology. The nuclear power is used to generate heat - nuclear energy, which in turn is used to generate nuclear electricity - one of the main advantages of nuclear power. Nuclear power plants are found in electric generators, on board nuclear ships and nuclear submarines.

Nuclear energy, unlike other forms of energy, is clean and it does not result in the emission of any of the poisonous gases like carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide or nitrogen dioxide. Nuclear waste is also easily disposed and would not damage a single bit of the ecosystem when buried. In today’s world when pollution of the atmosphere is one of our main worries, an option such as this is definitely preferable compared to burning of fossil fuels which causes so much of pollution.

Nuclear energy is can be obtained from uranium and this is available in abundance in the crust of the Earth with major deposits being uncovered in Canada and Australia. Therefore since the source of nuclear power is readily available now and also for centuries to come, this form of power is virtually inexhaustible.

Hence, with so many benefits, nuclear energy still plays an important part in today's world. People just have to take safety measures such as location of plants and protection of it against natural disasters to prevent nuclear radiation from spreading to humans. With this safety measures, I am sure accidents such as the nuclear crisis in Chernobyl and Japan can be prevented.

Term 2 Online Lesson 1: Crisis in Japan

Letter for Online Lesson 1:

12345 Sendai City
Apartment D - 105
Japan

4th April 2011

Dear Cousin,

How are you? I am sure Singapore is pretty fine as compared to the country I am living in now, Japan. I can assure you it was a disaster, but, I am one of the few fortunate ones who survived the deadly earthquake and tsunami.

It all started off with a normal day at work. Everything was fine, until the first tremors were felt around noon. At first, everyone thought that tremor was going to be like the common ones felt around this area frequently - slight movement and everything would go on as per normal. However, after a while, the vibrations became stronger and files started falling off shelves. The lighting hanging on the ceiling was also swaying from side to side and some parts of the ceiling fell off too. We were told to evacuate the building and run to nearby shelters. My natural instinct told me not to run to open space as usually after earthquakes, especially areas near seaside, tsunamis will follow up. Hence, instead of running out of the building, some colleagues and I ran to the top floor of the building.

What we saw at the top of the building will be etched in my mind forever. I can never forget what I saw at the rooftop. Large cracks seemed to draw across the whole world as crack lines of different sizes and patterns were seen not only on roads but also on buildings.

Then, we saw it. In the distance, large waves engulfed smaller ones and were approaching us rapidly. I could see that there were boats, numerous pieces of debris and even a fire in the middle of the waves of sea. Trees literally broke and were swept away like toothpicks. Wooden structures and buildings were not spared too and became part of the growing numbers of debris already in the waves. I could see vehicles trying to escape from the wrath of the waves but many of them were unsuccessful in escaping. Needless to say, the colleagues who ran out of the buildings were engulfed by the waves. Screams were drowned by the larger noise of falling debris and powerful tidal waves smashing against buildings. We felt the impact of the waves and the building threatened to collapse. Thankfully, it did not.

The tsunami lasted about a few hours and by the time the disaster was over, the aftermath was worse. What remained of tall buildings were pieces of debris and hardly any building was intact. What is even more worrying is the news we received that nuclear reactors are overheating and may cause radiation levels to rise. My house was destroyed and I am currently thinking of ways to come back to Singapore.

Fret not, although my house was destroyed by the tsunami, I found a temporary home at a Shrine where food and lodging is provided for earthquake victims. I am also unscathed and my daily necessities are taken care of. My temporary lodging is also far away from the radiation emitted from the nuclear reactors. Help me to send my best regards to your family too and tell them I am fine. I will be coming back to Singapore as soon as possible!

Yours sincerely,
Zane