Overseas Student Numbers Plummet

The fall in international student commencements in Australia accelerated in July as numbers from India plummeted with the crackdown on student visa fraud and tougher migration policies. The fall caused a drop of 23% in English sector and a drop of 6.8% in the vocational sector. However, the commencements in the higher education sector increased by 5.6%. The figures, compiled by Australian Education International, have been revealed as the international education sector lobbies government for support and for adjustments to be made to the visa rulings. Melbourne University migration expert Lesleyanne Hawthorne said the vocational and English college sectors were experiencing a necessary reversal after fast growth as students and colleges took advantage of the previous study to migration pathway. The old system awarded bonus points for permanent residency for a plethora of courses, including hairdressing and cookery. However, the government's recent changes would keep students intent on migrating focused on doing quality courses and securing employee sponsorship, she said.

Three Australian Universities Make Top-100 Rankings

In the plausible Shanghai Jiao Tong world university 2010 rankings, there are three Australian universities that have managed to retain or either improve their performances in the top 100 of renowned global rankings. The Australian National University retained its 59th rank, the University of Melbourne leapt from the 75th to 62nd place while the University of Sydney improved its performance, jumping from 94th to 92nd. Outside the top 100, the University of NSW leapt from 166th to 159th place. The first place has been retained by Harvard in US for the eight year running. The University of California's Berkeley won second place while Stanford took third. On the fourth place is Britain's Cambridge University. Representing the Asia-Pacific, the ANU was pipped by the University of Tokyo in 20th place and Kyoto University at the 24th rank. The Jiao Tong rankings, that are heavily skewed to Nobel prize and other global research achievements, are increasingly seen as an important measure of a nation's economic health and competitiveness.

Superbug Risk in Food Imports, Health Experts Warn

Concerns on imported food that have been exposed to antibiotics during production have been aroused by the doctors in Australia. They are worried that the antimicrobial resistance in Australia will lessen and thus create a chance for an increase in the prevalence of superbugs. Superbugs have been identified by the World Health Organization as one of the three greatest threats to human health. Actually, superbugs have already infected parts of Europe which is brought home by a tourist that travelled to Asia for a cosmetic surgery. It is vital to ensure foods that have been exposed to antibiotics especially apples, were not consumed by Australian in large numbers. This is because Australian has much lower levels of antimicrobial resistance due to its unique position. If there is no regulations on imported food have been exposed to antibiotics, it may create the same problem as in the 1930s. Apples that are imported from New Zealand and in some parts of Asia are usually sprayed by antibiotics to prevent fire-blight. The antibiotics will then last on the skin of the apples for about up to six month and it then creates resistant bacteria which is superbugs.

21 Rescued From Life Raft After Boat Hits Reef and Capsizes Off Queensland Coast

A charter fishing boat has capsized at Swains Reef, about 200 kilometres off Yeppoon because of rough weather. The 22-metre fishing vessel was hit by huge winds of 52 knots overnight before the ship capsized. There were 21 passengers in the ship. All of them are managed to be rescued by the police. The rescue operation was launched after the Australian Rescue and Safety Authority (AusSAR) detected two emergency signals. The rescue operation involved a fixed-wing aircraft, three emergency choppers and three nearby vessels. It is said that after the ship capsized, the 21 passengers climbed up to a life raft and then were save by a passing fishing charter before they were found by the police. The cause of the accident is still unknown. There were no death reported, however, the rescued had only minor bruises and scratches.

Child Poisoned Every Nine Days in Mine Town Mount Isa

A study claimed that a child develops lead poisoning every nine days in the northwest Queensland mining town of Mount Isa. The research that has been conducted for about two years found that 11 percent of the town’s children had lead poisoning. The researcher blamed Xstrata, the mining company, and the government for doing nothing. The process of mining had caused lead to be present in the air. Although, the mining company had cleaned their pollution in the river but they had never done anything to address the air pollution problem. Last year, a study found lead contamination in the soil around Mount Isa was worse than that near similar mines in China. Professor Flegal, an adviser to the US Environmental Protection Agency on mining operations, stated that historic and continuing emissions from the mine and smelting operations has caused the lead poisoning. The people living there suffered so much because of the contamination to the air.

However, the government responded by saying that they had already installed an air monitoring device and the device has not shown any sign of poor air condition in that place.

The mayor of Mount Isa replied “We're a working town and a great town. The bloke who wrote that is working in hospital-like conditions in a big city -- he wouldn't understand life out here."

This shows that there is not enough action taken by the government and the responsible parties. Immediate action need to be taken to protect the life of the people in that area.

Heavy Fog Disrupt Travel in Sydney and Brisbane

Lots of air flights were diverted as a result of heavy fog that has been hovering over parts of Brisbane and Sydney. The heavy fog has caused the visibility to drop to as low as 180m. Many domestic flights would be delayed because of the knock-on effect. People are advised to contact their airlines to know what exactly happen to the schedule of their flight. The same situation also applies to the ferries industries as it is dangerous for the ferries to operate under the low visibility. As a result the airlines and ferries industry might have a loss because of the heavy fog. This is one of example of external factor that disrupt the profitability of an industry.

Australian News - Demand for Water Set to Soar

According to Water Services Association of Australia, water demand in Australia could increase by 1.5 trillion litres over the next 50 years if the population grows to 45 million. However, if the population only reach 31 million, it will only need an extra of one trillion litres of water. The Water Services Association is trying to diversify the sources of water in Australia such as desalination, recycled water, groundwater, water trading with rural sector, storm water and rainwater tanks. Development of new technologies like waterless washing machines also helps to cope with the rise of demand of water. Environmentalists are concern that there are possibilities the new technologies will harm the environment. No matter what approach is taken, the cost of water will increase soon in Australia.

I think it is the same for other countries too. Thus, we need to start appreciate water more. We must care for our river and stop the water pollution as it will only harm us back in the future.

Argumentative Essay : Television Viewing #2

Television has mesmerized people of all ages since the time it was created (Leigh 2001). Currently, in developed countries, more than ninety percents of families are evaluated to have at least one television set (Sharif 1999). In American Time Use Survey (2003), it is calculated that most of women and men spent their leisure time watching television. The result clearly shows that people have been watching television extensively. This is further affirmed by the UK Time Use Survey (2004) that approximated about one and a half hour to three hours per day had been spent by people on television, video and radio. Lots of people have evinced their concern about this issue as it affects the development of children. Some people said that television brings tonnes of benefit to humankind; however, I strongly believed that television brings more negative effects as it disrupts the development of the thinking process of children, creates health problem and triggers behavioural problems.

First and foremost, television influences the development of the thinking process of children. Nowadays, there a lot of unsuitable children programs aired by the television. These programs stimulate the development of short attention spans in children through their brief segments and flashy appearance. Children are prone to believe what they saw on television as they are at a stage on developing their mind. Thus, programs that always show problems are solved within thirty minutes embolden children to think that all problems are easily solved. Later, they will be easily disappointed and give up when they faced a difficult situation in their real life (Sharif 1999). According to Dr. Jones, television viewing is a passive activity. By watching television, children do not acquire imaginative skills which are essential in enhancing problem-solving and organizational ability (Leigh 2001). Thus, all of these effects lead to disruption in the development of the thinking process of children.

Beside this, viewing of television for a long period leads to health problems. People need to stay in front of television in order to watch it. As a result, people are not being physically active through this kind of indoor activity (Sharif 1999). People rather flick between channels to find interesting programs rather than switch it off. It then limits the time for sports and exercise (Rutherford 2002). According to the UK Time Use Survey (2004), people spent roughly less than twelve minutes for their sports and exercise for the weekdays and less than thirty minutes during the weekend. Television viewing is a sedentary activity and people tend to grab snacks or eat their meals during this period. This results in obesity and some related diseases (Rutherford 2002). Hence, extensive television viewing causes health problems such as obesity due to lack of exercise.

Other than this, television viewing triggers behavioural problems. There is a lot of violence scenes showed in television even in the news .Research has shown that seeing too much violence on television desensitize children to it. As children believed what they saw on television, they are easily tried to be like them. Evidence proves that there has been an incident where children imitate their favourite superhero or characters in shows, and injured themselves as they thought that they have the same abilities of the superhero. In the movies also, people are classified as either good or bad while men and women played a specific role in life. Later, children’s behaviour towards themselves and other people are affected by these stereotypes (Sharif 1999). According Dr. Jones, children who watch television extensively are among the bottom rank students at school. Besides, television programs need undivided attention from the viewers. Thus, it is hard to focus on other activity such as homework when the television is on (Leigh 2001). So, it is proven that television viewing creates behavioural problems.

As a conclusion, extensive television viewing is indeed brings lots of adverse effect on people generally and children especially. In American Time Use Survey (2003), watching television have the highest average hours spent per day compared to the others proved that television is being watched protractedly. The smooth development of children’s thinking process is disrupted by the extensive television viewing. Therefore, I strongly agree that television brings more negative effect as it disrupts the development of the thinking process of children, creates health problem and triggers behavioural problems.

Argumentative Essay: Television Viewing #1

Television has mesmerized people of all ages since the time it was created (Leigh 2001). Currently, in developed countries, more than ninety percents of families are evaluated to have at least one television set (Sharif 1999). In American Time Survey (2003), it is calculated that most of women and men spent their leisure time watching television. The result clearly shows that people have been watching television extensively. This is further affirmed by the UK Time Use Survey (2004) that approximated about one and a half hour to three hours per day had been spent by people on television, video and radio. Lots of people have evinced their concern about this issue as it may affect development of children. Some people said that television brings tonnes of benefit to humankind; however, I strongly believed that television brings more negative effects as it disrupt the development of the thinking process of children, create health problem and triggers behavioral problems.

First and foremost, television may influence the development of the thinking process of children. Nowadays, there a lot of unsuitable children programs aired by the television. These programs stimulate the development of short attention spans in children through their brief segments and flashy appearance. Children are prone to believe what they saw on television as they are at a stage on developing their mind. Thus, programs that show problems can always be solved within thirty minutes embolden children to think that all problems are easily solved. Later, they will be easily disappointed and give up when they faced a difficult situation in their real life (Sharif 1999). According to Dr. Jones, children do not acquire imaginative skills which are essential in enhancing problem-solving and organizational ability because television viewing is a passive activity (Leigh 2001). Thus, all of these effects lead to disruption in the development of the thinking process of children.

Beside this, viewing of television for a long period may lead to health problems. People need to stay in front of television in order to watch it. As a result, people are not being physically active through this kind of indoor activity (Sharif 1999). People rather flick between channels to find interesting programs rather than switch it off. It then limits the time for sports and exercise (Rutherford 2002). According to the UK Time Use Survey (2004), people spent roughly less than twelve minutes for their sports and exercise for the weekdays and less than thirty minutes during the weekend. Television viewing is a sedentary activity and people tend to grab snacks or eat their meals during this period. This may cause obesity and some related diseases (Rutherford 2002). Hence, extensive television viewing may cause health problems such as obesity due to lack of exercise.

Other than this, television can trigger behavioural problems. There is a lot of violence scenes showed in television even in the news .Research has shown that seeing too much violence on television can desensitize children to it. As children believed what they saw on television, there has been an incident where children imitate their favourite superhero or characters in shows, and injured themselves as they thought that they have the same abilities of the superhero. In the movies also, people are classified as either good or bad while men and women played a specific role in life. Their behaviour towards themselves and other people can be affected by these stereotypes (Sharif 1999). According Dr. Jones, children who watch television extensively are among the bottom rank students at school. Besides, television programs need undivided attention from the viewers. Thus, it is hard to focus on other activity such as homework when the television is on (Leigh 2001). So, it can be said that television may create behavioural problems.

As a conclusion, extensive television viewing is indeed brings lots of adverse effect on people generally and children especially. It is important for the children to have a smooth development of their thinking process but it will be disrupt by the extensive television viewing. It is important to prevent children from too much exposed to the television. Parents must play their role to ensure that unsuitable programs that aired on television are not watch by their children. Parents also must give a good example to the children. Remember that television is a bad master but it can become a good servant. Therefore, I strongly believed that television brings more negative effect.

Aus News: Fears schools may cheat to improve test performance

NSW high school principals are expecting the teacher ban on NAPLAN tests to affect the ''vast majority'' of secondary schools next week.

The president of the NSW Secondary Principals Council, Jim Mc Alpine, said Australia was in danger of becoming a ''nation of cheats'' unless the national literacy and numeracy tests were monitored by external supervisors.

Mr. Mc Alpine said the federal government's reward payments for improved NAPLAN results would tempt schools, which administer the tests, to alter results to improve performance. He said the federal government should pay for external supervisors for the high-stakes NAPLAN tests given to students in years 3, 5, 7 and 9.

''Julia Gillard should pay for external exam supervision in every school to ensure the results are fair and genuine, in the same way we do the HSC. It is ludicrous these tests are done in a classroom with a teacher,'' he said. ''There is no way to control the alteration to answers and yet these results are being used to make judgments on school performance.

''We don't want Australia to become a nation of cheats.''

Mr. Mc Alpine said the vast majority of his members had indicated that they will be supporting the Australian Education Union's moratorium on the NAPLAN test.

The Department of Education has said that its feedback suggested NAPLAN tests would be delivered at 85 per cent of primary and high schools on May 11, 12 and 13.

The NSW Primary Principals Association said it was unsure what proportion of schools would be affected by the teacher ban next week.

The president of the NSW Teachers Federation, Bob Lipscombe, said the union was considering its advice to schools that attempted to use untrained people to supervise the tests. He ruled out any violence but would not say whether the union would consider setting up picket lines outside schools.

Mr. Lipscombe refuted Department of Education advice that NAPLAN tests would be delivered to the majority of students. ''We remain unconvinced that they can deliver the tests in all schools,'' he said.

The NSW opposition spokesman on education, Adrian Piccoli, said the federal government was looking for a fight with the national teacher union.

''Julia Gillard wants to fight to prove to big business that she is not beholden to unions. That is what this dispute is about. She could resolve this dispute and students could do the NAPLAN tests.

''The NSW government is doing all the head kicking on her behalf and ultimately it is the kids who miss out on the tests.''

A spokesperson for Ms Gillard said the government was committed to providing information on core skills and that the test results guided decisions on financial assistance for schools.
Yesterday the state government established a hotline for parents with concerns about the NAPLAN tests.

The line will be open from 8am to 7pm on weekdays and 9am to 6pm at the weekend. The number is 1300388246.

My comments:

For your information, NAPLAN stands for National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy commenced in Australia. Every year, all students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 are assessed on the same days using national tests in Reading, Writing, Language Conventions (Spelling, Grammar and Punctuation) and Numeracy. However, recently, the teachers association in Australia have banned the NAPLAN tests. This is because the schools may cheat to improve their results to get financial aid from the government. They suggested that the NAPLAN tests should be monitored by external supervisors instead of the teachers of the schools themselves. In my opinion, there are so many irresponsible person cheat for their own benefit. There is even a country that cheated on their financial status just to attract more investors. However, this kind of act cannot be kept secret for a long time as there must be one time where people will know about it and things may get worse than what they can imagine. So, do not cheat to anybody as it is not a good act and it can bring harm to other people and yourself.

Argumentative Essay #3

Junk food can be defined as any food that have low nutritional value and considered to be unhealthy (Smith 2005). According to the research by Health Foundation (2005), six out of thirteen most popular snack foods among the students contain low nutritional value. In Weekend News (2005), it is stated that over the past 30 years, the nutritional value of food eaten by Australian children has been falling progressively. As a result, childhood obesity is likely to happen and junk food is the one to be blamed for this. Thus, I strongly believed that sales of junk food should be banned in school canteen as it leads to health problem, environmental problem and initiate behavioural problem of students.

First and foremost, junk food should be banned in school canteen is simply because it can give an adverse effect on health of the students (Weekend News 2005). As students usually consume what is sold by the canteen, mainly junk food, it can contribute to weight gain of the students. Then, the problem worsens as students did not get enough physical activity. This may lead to childhood obesity which can cause students to suffer chronic disease in the future. Besides that, dental health of students may also deteriorate as a result of intake of soft drinks which is also a junk food. Thus, junk food cannot be sold in the school canteen as it may cause childhood obesity and dental problem.

In addition, the ban on junk food in school canteen should be enforced because consumption on junk food can lead to environmental problems. Junk food packaging contributes to litter problem in most of the schools. Cans, crisp packets, cartons and plastic containers are usually being dumped everywhere by the students as it is convenient for them (Green 2005). This litter problem increases cleaning costs and time besides create a bad image of the communities (Smith 2005). It is clear that junk food give a detrimental effect on the environment of where education takes place.

Furthermore, junk food can cause behavioural problems of the students. According to Caputo (2005), a child psychologist, junk food can trigger behavioural problems as there are a lot of chemical addictives in the junk food. The examples of behavioural problem that can emerge as a result of junk food intake are hyperactivity and poor concentration (Smith 2005). Green (2005), a primary school teacher said that student’s behaviour improves when junk food and soft drinks are removed from the canteen. This shows that junk food severely affect the behavior of the students.

In a nutshell, junk food indeed brings negative effect on students, the environment they live in and their lifestyle. It is a must to prevent students from continuing harm themselves and the environment although it may scarifies more profits to the school from the sales of the canteen (Weekend News 2005). Thus, I strongly believe that the sale of junk food in school canteens should be banned for the sake of future health of our nation.

Argumentative Essay #2

Junk food can be defined as any food that have low nutritional value and considered to be unhealthy (Smith 2005). According to the research by Health Foundation (2005), six out of thirteen most popular snack foods among the students contain low nutritional value. In Weekend News (2005), it is stated that over the past 30 years, the nutritional value of food eaten by Australian children has been falling progressively. As a result, childhood obesity is likely to happen and junk food is the one to be blamed for this. Thus, I strongly believed that sales of junk food should be banned in school canteen as it leads to health problem, environmental problem and initiate behavioural problem of students.

First and foremost, junk food should be banned in school canteen is simply because it can give an adverse effect on health of the students (Weekend News 2005). As students usually consume what is sold by the canteen, mainly junk food, it can contribute to weight gain of the students. Then, the problem worsens as students did not get enough physical activity. This may lead to childhood obesity which can cause students to suffer chronic disease in the future. Besides that, dental health of students may also deteriorate as a result of intake of soft drinks which is also a junk food. Thus, junk food cannot be sold in the school canteen as it may cause childhood obesity and dental problem.

In addition, the ban on junk food in school canteen should be enforced because consumption on junk food can lead to environmental problem. Junk food packaging contributes to litter problem in most of the schools. Cans, crisp packets, cartons and plastic containers are usually being dumped everywhere by the students as it is convenient for them (Green 2005). This litter problem increases cleaning costs and time besides create a bad image of the communities (Smith 2005). It is clear that junk food give a detrimental effect on the environment of where education takes place.

Furthermore, junk food can cause behavioural problems of the students. According to Caputo (2005), a child psychologist, junk food can trigger behavioural problems as there are a lot of chemical addictives in the junk food. The examples of behavioural problem that can emerge as a result of junk food intake are hyperactivity and poor concentration (Smith 2005). Green (2005), a primary school teacher said that student’s behaviour improves when junk food and soft drinks are removed from the canteen. This shows that junk food severely affect the behavior of the students.

In a nutshell, junk food is indeed brings negative effect on the students itself, the environment they live in and their lifestyle. It is a must to prevent students from continuing harm themselves and the environment although it may scarifies more profits to the school from the sales of the canteen (Weekend News 2005). Thus, I strongly believe that sale of junk food sin school canteens should be banned for the sake of future health of our nation.

Argumentative Essay #1

Junk food can be defined as any food that have low nutritional value and considered to be unhealthy (Smith 2005). According to the research by Health Foundation (2005), six out of thirteen most popular snack foods among the students contain low nutritional value. In Weekend News (2005), it is stated that over the past 30 years, the nutritional value of food eaten by Australian children has been falling progressively. As a result, childhood obesity is likely to happen and junk food is the one to be blamed for this. Thus, I strongly believed that sales of junk food should be banned in school canteen as it leads to health problem, environmental problem and initiate behavioural problem of students.

First and foremost, junk food should be banned in school canteen is simply because it can give an adverse effect on health of the students (Weekend News 2005). As students usually consume what is sold by the canteen, and most of it is junk food, it can contribute to weight gain of the students. Then, the problem worsens as students did not get enough physical activity and may lead to childhood obesity which can cause students to suffer chronic disease in the future. Dental health of students may also deteriorate as a result of intake of soft drinks which is also a junk food. Thus, junk food cannot be sold in the school canteen as it may cause childhood obesity and dental problem.

In addition, the ban on junk food in school canteen should be enforced because junk food can lead to environmental problem. Junk food packaging contributes to litter problem in most of the schools. Cans, crisp packets, cartons and plastic containers are usually being dumped everywhere by the students as it is convenient for them (Green 2005). This litter problem increases cleaning costs and time besides create a bad image of the communities (Smith 2005). It is clear that junk food give a detrimental effect on the environment of where education takes place.

Furthermore, junk food can cause behavioural problems of the students. According to Mary Caputo (2005), a child psychologist, junk food can trigger behavioural problems as there are a lot of chemical addictives in the junk food. The examples of behavioural problem that can emerge as a result of junk food intake are hyperactivity and poor concentration (Smith 2005). Jack Green (2005), a primary school teacher said that student’s behaviour improves when junk food and soft drinks are removed from the canteen. This shows that junk food severely affect the behavior of the students.

In a nutshell, junk food is indeed brings negative effect on the students itself, the environment they live in and their lifestyle. It is a must to prevent students from continuing harm themselves and the environment although it may scarifies more profits to the school from the sales of the canteen (Weekend News 2005). Thus, I strongly believe that sale of junk foods in school canteens should be banned for the sake of future health of our nation.

Text Production #3

What are the potential effects of global warming in terms of climate change and how they can be arrested?

Global warming is arguably the most critical and controversial issue facing the world in the twenty-first century, one that will affect every living creature on the planet. What exactly global warming is? In general, it can be defined as an increase of the Earth’s temperature gradually due to the increase of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. For the past century, our planet’s has warmed by approximately 0.3°C and it will keep hiking(Riebeek 2007). The global warming certainly brings negative effects on the environment in terms of climate change and measurements need to be taken immediately to avert this issue from deterioration.

One of the most potential effects of global warming in terms of climate change is the rise of sea levels. The expansions of water molecules cause the rise of sea levels as the oceans are heated in consequence of global warming. The melting of the glaciers and ice sheets that release more water into the oceans is also one of the reasons too. Rise in the sea level may possibly result in the disappearance of low-lying grounds such as Florida, California, Bangladesh and Maldives. According to the researches, the sea levels have increased by 3 cm per decade and it is expected to rise from 10 cm to 100cm by 2100(Woodford 2006). This situation is happening now as a result of human activities(Riebeek 2007).

Besides this, the other possible effect is erratic weather patterns. Global warming will cause some parts of the earth hotter which lengthen the drought period and some parts receive a heavier rainfall at the same time. This situation is likely to cause water shortage, homeless people and it will severely affect the developing countries. Another situation that worries the scientist is it may cause more storms and hurricanes that are more intense than El-Nino. In the film The Inconvenient Truth (2007), Al Gore the main character, explained when the water temperature in the oceans increases, a much stronger storm is formed as the wind’s velocity and the moisture of the storm increases. This incident happens during the formation of hurricane Katrina, which badly affects New Orleans. This proves that the warmer the oceans, the stronger the storm that can be formed.

Furthermore, global warming also affects the ecosystem and may cause extinction in some species of animals and plants. As global warming worsens, some parts of the world may experience significant climate change. The poles may become too warm for the animal that used to be living in extreme cold. Meanwhile, the temperature in the tropics may drop hugely and it become unfavorable to the plants and animal that used to live in the tropics area. The plants and animal may not be able to adapt quickly with the rapid change of the climate and many of them will experience extinction(Woodford 2006). The extinction of the species is such a huge loss to the future generation and it is our fault if this happens.

Nevertheless, it is still not too late to prevent the global warming from getting worse. The best way to arrest this is by reducing the emissions of carbon dioxide. To obtain this, the usage of energy must be reduced or used efficiently. It can be done by using energy-saving fluorescent and renewable energy or reducing the usage of car, fuel and air conditioner. All these actions does not require much effort to do but it will make a huge different to our world. It might be difficult for government to reduce the usage of energy as it is also means slower economic growth. However, according to the Stern Report, it is better to avert climate change now because the cost to eliminate it will be higher later(Woodford 2006). According to Al Gore, the main character in the film The Inconvenient Truth (2007), if we are united, any problem can be solved. Hence, it is very important for all countries government cooperate together to deter the global warming now before it is too late.

In conclusion, there are many potential effects of global warming in terms of climate change and it is all detrimental to our Earth and any living organism on it. It is necessary for us to curb this problem quickly as it will bring more harm if it is ignored. Hence, we need to reduce the emission of carbon dioxide and thus prevent the global warming from getting worse. To do this we need the cooperation from all people that live in this world because it is our problem together and all of us are responsible for it. We must restore the balance back for the sake of world.

Text Production #2

What are the potential effects of global warming in terms of climate change and how they can be arrested?

Global warming is arguably the most critical and controversial issue facing the world in the twenty-first century, one that will affect every living creature on the planet. What exactly global warming is? In general, it can be defined as an increase of the Earth’s temperature gradually due to the increase of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. For the past century, our planet’s has warmed by approximately 0.3°C and it will keep hiking. (Riebeek 2007) The global warming certainly brings negative effects on the environment in terms of climate change and measurements need to be taken immediately to avert this issue from deterioration.

One of the most potential effects of global warming in terms of climate change is the rise of sea levels. The expansions of water molecules cause the rise of sea levels as the oceans are heated in consequence of global warming. The melting of the glaciers and ice sheets that release more water into the oceans is also one of the reasons too. Rise in the sea level may possibly result in the disappearance of low-lying grounds such as Florida, California, Bangladesh and Maldives. According to the researches, the sea levels have increased by 3 cm per decade and it is expected to rise from 10 cm to 100cm by 2100. (Woodford 2006) This situation is happening now as a result of human activities. (Riebeek 2007)

Besides this, the other possible effect is erratic weather patterns. Global warming will cause some parts of the earth hotter which lengthen the drought period and some parts receive a heavier rainfall at the same time. This situation is likely to cause water shortage, homeless people and it will severely affect the developing countries. Another situation that worries the scientist is it may cause more storms and hurricanes that are more intense than El-Nino. In the film The Inconvenient Truth (2007), Al Gore, explained when the water temperature in the oceans increases, a much stronger storm is formed as the wind’s velocity and the moisture of the storm increases. This incident happens during the formation of hurricane Katrina, which badly affects New Orleans. This proves that the warmer the oceans, the stronger the storm that can be formed.

Furthermore, global warming also affects the ecosystem and may cause extinction in some species of animals and plants. As global warming worsens, some parts of the world may experience significant climate change. The poles may become too warm for the animal that used to be living in extreme cold. Meanwhile, the temperature in the tropics may drop hugely and it become unfavorable to the plants and animal that used to live in the tropics area. The plants and animal may not be able to adapt quickly with the rapid change of the climate and many of them will experience extinction. (Woodford 2006) The extinction of the species is such a huge loss to the future generation and it is our fault if this happens.

Nevertheless, it is still not too late to prevent the global warming from getting worse. The best way to arrest this is by reducing the emissions of carbon dioxide. To obtain this, the usage of energy must be reduced or used efficiently. It can be done by using energy-saving fluorescent and renewable energy or reducing the usage of car, fuel and air conditioner. All these actions does not require much effort to do but it will make a huge different to our world. It might be difficult for government to reduce the usage of energy as it is also means slower economic growth. However, according to the Stern Report, it is better to avert climate change now because the cost to eliminate it will be higher later. (Woodford 2006) According to Al Gore, if we are united, any problem can be solved. Hence, it is very important for all countries government cooperate together to deter the global warming now before it is too late.

In conclusion, there are many potential effects of global warming in terms of climate change and it is all detrimental to our Earth and any living organism on it. It is necessary for us to curb this problem quickly as it will bring more harm if it is ignored. Hence, we need to reduce the emission of carbon dioxide and thus prevent the global warming from getting worse. To do this we need the cooperation from all people that live in this world because it is our problem together and all of us are responsible for it. We must restore the balance back for the sake of world.

Text Production Draft #1

What are the potential effects of global warming in terms of climate change and how they can be arrested?

Global warming is arguably the most critical and controversial issue facing the world in the twenty-first century, one that will affect every living creature on the planet. What exactly global warming is? In general, it can be defined as an increase of the Earth’s temperature gradually due to the increase of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. For the past century, our planet’s has warmed by approximately 0.3°C and it will keep hiking. (Holly Riebeek 2007) Hence, it is crucial to analyse and cease the effects of this global warming immediately to avert this issue from deterioration.

One of the most potential effects of global warming in terms of climate change is the rise of sea levels. The expansions of water molecules cause the rise of sea levels as the oceans are heated in consequence of global warming. The melting of the glaciers and ice sheets that release more water into the oceans is also one of the reasons too. Rise in the sea level may possibly result in the disappearance of low-lying grounds such as Florida, California, Bangladesh and Maldives. According to the researches, the sea levels have increased by 3 cm per decade and it is expected to rise from 10 cm to 100cm by 2100. (Chris Woodford 2006) This situation is happening now as a result of human activities. (Holly Riebeek 2007).

Besides this, the other possible effect is erratic weather patterns that will cause some parts of the earth will be hotter and lengthen the drought period when some parts receive a heavier rainfall. This situation is likely to cause water shortage, homeless people and it will severely affect the developing countries. Another situation that worry the scientist is it may cause more storms and hurricanes that are more intense than El-Nino. In the film The Inconvenient Truth (2007), Al Gore, explained when the water temperature in the oceans increases, a much stronger storm is formed as the wind’s velocity and the moisture of the storm increases. This incident happens during the formation of hurricane Katrina, which badly affects New Orleans. This proves that the warmer the oceans, the stronger the storm that can be formed.

Furthermore, global warming also affects the ecosystem and may cause extinction in some species of animals and plants. As global warming worsens, some parts of the world may experience significant climate change. The poles may become too warm for the animal that used to be living in extreme cold. Meanwhile, the temperature in the tropics may drop hugely and it become unfavorable to the plants and animal that used to live in the tropics area. The plants and animal may not be able to adapt quickly with the rapid change of the climate and many of them will experience extinction. (Chris Woodford 2006) The extinction of the species is such a huge loss to the future generation and it is our fault if this happens.

Nevertheless, it is still not too late to prevent the global warming from getting worse. The best way to arrest this is by reducing the emissions of carbon dioxide. To obtain this, the usage of energy must be reduced or used efficiently. It can be done by using energy-saving fluorescent and renewable energy or reducing the usage of car, fuel and air conditioner. All these actions does not require much effort to do but it will make a huge different to our world. It might be difficult for government to reduce the usage of energy as it is also means slower economic growth. However, according to the Stern Report, it is better to avert climate change now because the cost to eliminate it will be higher later. (Chris Woodford 2006) According to Al Gore, if we are united, any problem can be solved. Hence, it is very important for all countries government cooperate together to deter the global warming now before it is too late.

In conclusion, there are many potential effects of global warming in terms of climate change and it is all detrimental to our Earth and any living organism on it. It is necessary for us to curb this problem quickly as it will bring more harm if it is ignored. Hence, we need to reduce the emission of carbon dioxide and thus prevent the global warming from getting worse. To do this we need the cooperation from all people that live in this world because it is our problem together and all of us are responsible for it. We must restore the balance back for the sake of world.

AUSTRALIA 2050 IS A FUTURE WE CAN'T AFFORD

AUSTRALIANS must prepare for a fundamental shift in the way we live because the country cannot afford to cope with 36 million people.

Economic modelling produced for the Herald by PricewaterhouseCoopers shows the task of building the new roads, houses, schools, supermarkets and recreation facilities needed by 2050 will be so great that the nation's current pool of savings will struggle to cover it, even with the help of foreign capital.

As a consequence Australians will have to make major lifestyle changes.

These range from dramatic increases in housing density and an end to our reliance on the car, to the creation of self-sustaining urban communities capable of generating their own energy to avoid the need for new power stations.

Planning experts say we must also consider whether population increases will be accommodated in larger regional centres rather than allowing cities such as Sydney to grow.

''The bottom line is 'prepare for change','' the PWC economics and policy team leader, Jeremy Thorpe, said.

''The task of providing this infrastructure is a very significant one and at the moment we don't have the savings to cover it. Governments have to make a decision about what trade-offs they want to make to maintain a standard of living.''

Using figures from the government's intergenerational report, Mr Thorpe and his colleagues have calculated Australia will need 6.9 million more homes to cope with a population of 36 million by 2050. This represents 82 per cent of our existing housing stock.

Should Australians continue to rely on the car, the country will need 173,348 kilometres of new roads - a 51 per cent rise equivalent to the entire road network of Thailand.

We would need 3254 new schools, 1370 new supermarkets and 1370 cinema screens.
In dollar terms, the amount spent by both government and the private sector on infrastructure would need to increase by approximately $2.5 billion every year until 2050.

The PWC economists say that while the government talks about increasing productivity, it makes no mention of the crucial role the national pool of savings plays in funding infrastructure.

''The banks rely quite heavily on the savings of individual people to provide capital for investment in infrastructure. Because as a nation our savings are currently quite low, there is a real risk that there will be a significant shortage of credit.''

As a result, both the private sector and government have come to rely heavily on foreign capital. But the global credit crunch has dramatically lifted the costs of overseas borrowing, requiring government and companies to take on extra debt.

The ageing population exacerbates this situation as older people contribute less to the savings pool, and tend to draw more from government coffers in the form of social security and healthcare.

But a spokesman for the Treasurer, Wayne Swan, dismissed the analysis.

''Australia's reputation as one of the most attractive investment destinations in the world allows it to access large savings pools of foreign investors … to fund high levels of investment in our own economy,'' he said.

''We are able to be a net importer of capital because foreign investors are confident we use their capital so well.''

AUSSIE WOMEN HAVE HIGHEST RISING OBESITY RATE

AUSTRALIAN women have the fastest rising obesity rate and are tipping the scales as one of the heaviest nations on the planet.

For the first time Australian women are close to matching America's obesity level prompting health experts to warn women over 30 years of age that they can no longer be complacent about gaining weight, The Daily Telegraph reports.

When compared with the US, China and the UK, Australian women's body mass index - a calculation of weight divided by height - is rising faster than other nations, research has found.

The study measured the top 5 per cent of obese women in Australia at age 30 and found an average BMI score of 37.7.

The index's increase over 10 years has been more than double the international average.With such a high rate of increase the nation's health experts believe our level of obesity has already caught up to America - where the top 5 per cent of women averaged a BMI score of 42.5.

The most critically obese are defined by the World Health Organisation as having a BMI of more than 34.9.

The research, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, has alarmed health professionals even though they have known women have been putting on more weight than men in the past 10 to 15 years.

Institute of Obesity, Nutrition and Exercise director Professor Ian Caterson said efforts to combat women's obesity had been overshadowed by efforts to combat childhood obesity.

"What we have known is that for the past five years, people have been gaining weight and they are women aged between 25 and 35," he said.

"What we are worried about is the next generation will be worse than the current one and this research shows it."

While there has been an epidemic of childhood obesity, adults have also been piling on the kilos.

Newcastle University associate professor in nutrition and dietetics Dr Clare Collins said because weight gain was gradual, people did not notice it.

"On average, a person every year will gain up to 300g," she said.

"I don't think the average person realises the extent of the problem. What is alarming is the sheer numbers of people who are getting obese and moving into those high figures.

"We are going to run out of health services for people. Obesity is the biggest driver of cancer in the world."

Experts believe women gain extra weight after 30 due to lifestyle changes.

What about women in Malaysia?
Hrm... Think of it.....