Global Warming–Unfortunately I am enjoying low gas price.

Thanks to the US fracking for oil we are now enjoying lower pump price at the gas station. At the beginning of this month in Malaysia we started paying Malaysian Ringgit (RM) 1.70 per litre of petrol, it was RM2.30 per litre from last November. As much as it is a sigh of relief to my wallet I know the consequence of enjoying every bit of this saving is setting us back in global energy reform and is most likely going to amplify the effects of global warming. The Malaysian government in its bit to encourage fossil fuel use to boost the retail profitability of Petronas, Malaysia's petrol producer has taken away tax free incentives for Hybrid and fully electric cars. Even if I wanted to buy a new car now, for the same specs a fuel car can be gotten at just under RM100,000, like the new Honda HRV. Honda's Hybrid CRZ comes in at RM180,000. So unless you have money to splurge to want to look 'green-cool' in Malaysia, the gov's decision is a death knell to reducing Malaysia's carbon footprint. So if US fracks for oil–its bad. If the world wants the US to stop fracking for oil energy prices continue being inflated, not so great either.

If you want to understand fracking here is a video on Youtube by National Geographic to explain it.



The video doesn't concern itself with the pro or cons of the process and I am not sure if the video is part of a larger documentary, but do check out the comments on the YouTube page for this video. Click here to to Go to the YouTube page. There is barely a comment in support of fracking.

What surprised me the most in this video was the number wells there are in just one shale bed–8,000 and it is expected to grow to 50,000 in coming years. I don't understand how we can disturb the geography so invasively and not expect negative repercussions. If time has taught us something about technology it is that it is never fool proof. This video ends ominously: "the long term environmental effects of fracking are unknown".....but I queried Google anyway.

Here are two articles: This one from frackingofamerica.com is against fracking; This one on Forbes...well it goes without saying which side they are on. To be fair to the USA, while it is one of the biggest user and producer of fossil fuels, the addiction to fossil fuels is a global habit. For instance the greatest opponents to environmental resolutions at the 2009 Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen were the BRIC nations. For all the brouhaha for urgent intervention by nations to reverse the effects of climate change by national leaders who attended the conference we are back to square one with Brent Crude at USD50. It's back to business as usual with the oxymoronic justification that we still require the right to pollute the environment in the name of economic development.

Perhaps the only group of national leaders that went to Copenhagen to urgently push for concrete commitments to reduce global carbon dioxide pollution were the small island nations of the world led by the then President of Maldives, Mohamed Nasheed. With his and other small island nations in imminent danger from sea level rise the problem on their front yard. Unlike us continental-dwellers who have the luxury to think that global sea level rise is a political matter the former President put it simply that if the Maldives goes under so will all the major cities of the world that hug the coast. If disaster was allowed in Maldives it's the same fate for collective billions living in cities like New York, Shanghai, Bangkok, Jakarta, Rio, Miami, Sydney etc. The logic is simple enough to understand but at the end of the conference after a round of chest thumping about the need for economic development the big nations that could make a real impact on reducing carbon dioxide emissions simply said: Yes we care, but all we can do is sympathize.

Since the 2009 conference, the political drive to try to find a cohesive turn around solution for global climate change seems to have ground to a halt. International politics has chosen to ignore the inconvenient consequences of global warming. It is only when a weather related disaster occurs that for brief spurts of time people and politicians clamor to do something about it–like how Hurricane Sandy reignited climate concerns as an issue during the 2012 race for the White House. Sandy certainly provided the crucial second wind to President Obama's campaign, unfortunately that was all the political wind she could muster leaving nothing like a lasting environmental agenda.

It looks like we are going to have to bear the consequences of global warming though we should still recycle to the hilt, demand for a ban on fossil fuel based plastics for bio-plastics, support renewable energy production and not to forget stop using virgin hardwood timber! Only sustainably grown ag-timber or bamboo. We must at least not exasperate persisting global warming conditions. The technology for sustainable living is available and can be scaled to the masses, yet politics and economic agendas of some of the most super-rich corporations stand in the way by condescendingly nagging off their viability.

If you are curious about the serious climate change / global warming concerns facing the small island nations of the world, this video The Island President is enlightening.

Global Warming–Making A Difference

After Mr. Al Gore's Inconvenient Truth, I found the video below a good summary of where we are at presently in the global environmental crisis. I got this video from www.worldwatch.org.

Ultimately if we want to make a difference in the condition of our environment it is up to us–for our sake and that of our children. Unfortunately governments are masters at shuffling blame and painting rosy pictures; counting on them to come together to make a difference will probably only happen when major cities like New York, San Francisco, London, Mumbai or Hong Kong reach a critical level of danger like where the Seychelles, Maldives and Tuvalu are now. Even then they will still need a round of finger pointing before they finally decide to point it at themselves.

In Malaysia for instance (as I imagine is true also in other developing nations) both politicians and the population in general don't give two hoots about global sea level rise. Here Earth Hour and Earth Day are commercial opportunities for big companies to show off and for people to change their status on FB to jump on the bandwagon to be a cool environmentalist for a bit; after that its back to oblivion as far as the environment is concerned. Awareness of recycling, the dangers of dumping plastics and reducing carbon footprint has barely improved from a decade ago.

With high population density and a growing middle class in Asia, environmental awareness programmes can make a huge impact. Yet little is being done by governments, national education systems and enforcement to get everyone to prioritize environmental care. Everyone is hungry to make money with little regard to future consequence.

It is time to change these attitudes. It is time to realize our daily habits today are as important to our livelihood and the future generations as earning a living or owning a house or a car. By the way if you are planning to buy a new car you can help a great deal by getting a hybrid or better still a fully electric car. Fully Electric Cars are AS GOOD in performance as gas / petrol powered ones. Despite being available for more than a decade hybrid cars are still a rarity in much of Asia, let alone fully electric ones. It is time to change this trend in Asia and demand for more choices of fully electric cars from car companies and a power grid for charging these cars (especially ones based on renewable energy–solar, wind and mini hydroelectrics).

Click Here to Check Out the Nissan Leaf.

By the way if you are living in Malaysia Nissan Leaf is also available in the country-click here.

Click Here to Check out Tesla if you need a way more 'da kind' car.

Check out Tesla Model S design and specs - 10min video by Open Throttle

As a collective group of seven billion people we are a formidable force of nature. Though this truth flies past us when we compare our individual life to earth's immense climate systems its global impact is upon us and there is–though sirens are not blaring yet–an extreme urgency of action if we are to change the tide of climate change lest we are blamed as a selfish generation that could care less. Simple decisions like how to dispose of that empty plastic water bottle, or how we want to get to work tomorrow or whether to use the fan or air-condition should be treated as important as decisions we make to keep ourselves and our family safe and secure.

Global Warming–So What?

Its not new but it seems only in 2013 that we hit a threshold where 99% of scientists now believe that global warming / climate change is primarily caused by human activity i.e. burning lots of fossil fuels. Previous outcries of scientific proof way before 2013 such as Al Gore’s Inconvenient Truth wasn't moving enough for politicians. (An Inconvenient Truth: The Video; The Book) Unfortunately there are politicians who still weigh the 1% doubting scientists against the 99% as if somehow the numbers balance no doubt they are aligned to the fossil fuel lobby.

I learned about global warming in 1985. At that time I was a 14 year old who loved nature and was upset at the possibility that at the rate of logging then by the year 2000, when I would be 29, most of the virgin rain forests would have disappeared and with it the extinction of many species.

30 years on we are only now unequivocally acknowledging that humankind is an environmental force that nature has to reckon with. Earth Hour and Earth Day have celebrity standing to at least remind us that we have to be conservative in using Earth's resources. A reason of course is because every super weather event–epic blizzards, flooding, super typhoons that hits the front page of news doesn’t end without mention of climate change as a possible contributing factor.

As we get deeper into the 21st century any planning into the future beyond the next decade or so must take into account the changes that global warming might cause. There are nations already reeling from rising sea levels. Small island nations like the Maldives and South Pacific Island Nations are already preparing for the worst by demanding bigger nations provide them refuge in case they need to abandon their paradisiacal islands. It is hard to ever imagine talking about the South Pacific islands as places that once used to be.

The Island President is a docu-movie that highlights just how real the problem of global sea level rise is to the Maldives.

The most powerful three pounder in the world is...

The Human Brain.

Our brain on average is only 3 pounds in weight, yet this 'alien' looking organ is truly among the greatest wonders of nature. While we hardly ever stop to ponder its functions and how it carries out its amazing abilities we don't hesitate to try to make the most of it. Scientific research over the past decades has shed valuable light on how we can develop our mind's potential and best practices to maintain its health.

I have been reading up on the brain and getting myself up to date with the latest on it from National Geographic. The amazing image on top is from "BRAIN–The Complete Mind. How it develops, how it works and how to keep it sharp". With nine chapters ranging from anatomy to its development and functioning from a child to an ageing elder this book offers more than trivial info or scientific descriptions.

I learnt from this book that giving my brain a workout is more than the obvious solving puzzles or doing memory exercises. Enjoying art, classical music, looking for patterns in nature on photo outings are important for keeping the mind sharp and innovative. Another useful advise from the book is on the dangers of stress to brain which exposes the brain to consistently elevated levels hormones like cortisols that can hurt normal brain function. Among the ways to maintain good mental health throughout life is to find a relaxation method such as deep breathing, meditation or yoga to rev-down our brain is as important as revving it up.

As with any NatGeo presentation the book is generously filled with amazing photographs and graphics. Whether you want to understand the brain as a professional, student or just to learn how amazing the brain is–this is a super book to have, even if only as a show-off coffee table book.

Here is another entertaining and informational offering on the brain from NatGeo. Click here to check out this video review on Amazon. 

Teaching or Studying for 'O' Levels

Continuing from the previous post. I would like to share the resources we used to prepare for the exam. We chose 'O' Levels because of its international standing as an universal completion-of-school standard. Early on we were advised by 'O' Levels experts to do Pearson's Edexcel syllabus instead of the Cambridge variant. We confirmed that both were accepted with equal weight and we liked London Board's Pearson Edexcel because the exam format for subjects we wanted had only 2 papers, such as Biology Paper 1 & 2 instead of Cambridge's 3 or 4 exam paper formats. Edexcel's curriculum we found was also lighter weight and more tailored for current general qualification; Cambridge is a legacy standard.

If you are a teacher (or if you are a student) looking to prep students / yourself for 'O' Levels–Edexcel, here are the basic steps I would recommend that worked for us:

Step 1
Go to Edexcel's website (click here) and for all the subjects that you need, get their curriculum content, past exam papers and marking scheme (the examiner's report is not necessary). Get the grade boundaries for subjects (click here for this). Understanding the grade boundaries is important to develop an answering strategy.

Step 2
Get one of these recommended textbooks for all the subjects from your local book store or Amazon.com at the following links: Biology, Chemistry, Physics. Maths.

Step 3
Read the textbooks (of biology, chemistry and physics) cover to cover. Don't worry about complete understanding or memorising of facts just yet. This exercise is just to familiarise with the subject matter and to get a glimpse of how the chapters relate to each other. Of course it is no point reading the Maths text book cover to cover. Maths is about practicing sums. I will discuss maths later.

Step 4
Use the past year exam questions (use about 2-3 sets, or 4 to 6 papers), analyse the questions and organise them according to the sections and chapters of the syllabus, do this as early as possible–way before the exams instead of keeping this effort for last. Learn to answer the question according to the marking scheme and familiarise with how questions are posed from the subject matter. You will find after doing a number or questions that, while question are never the same year after year, the answers are about the same. Create notes on answer patterns, such as how to give answers to questions that ask to 'explain' or 'suggest' or 'describe' etc. Also learn not to 'over-answer'.

Step 5
Use Youtube videos as visual aids of the subject matter. It helps students memorise facts, laws and visualise how processes, such as chemical reactions take place. My students found that the best videos are often created by other students, not necessarily videos on Kahn Academy or TED Edu. Keep a list, bookmark, of all the best videos for later reference. Do this in tandem with studying the past year papers.

Step 6
Develop an answering strategy based on the grade boundaries. For instance if a paper provides 120 marks and has to be completed in 2 hours; it works out to a minute a mark, which is not much time for thinking. Using the grade boundaries to plan on the grade to attempt, either A-star, A or B, a student can plan to shed up to about 30-40 marks, thus gaining as much time to concentrate on answering questions they are most confident in and reducing stress during the exam.

Step 7
Create mock exams with unattempted exam papers reserved for this and gauge preparedness.

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My experience with using the internet to teach

In January of 2013 I took up a challenge to educate four students as part of an ‘education charity’ project–SVA–and prepare them to sit for the IGCSE ‘O’ levels exam. Pressured by necessary cost cutting measures in our donations-funded project meant we (my friends and I who started this pilot effort) couldn’t hire full-time professional teachers; they were just too expensive to maintain on donations alone. I knew the syllabus and since I had a good hold on maths and science from my school days, though almost no experience teaching them, I volunteered to teach the boys 10th grade mathematics, biology, physics and chemistry. The boys sat for their exam in the summer of 2014.

I had 16 months to prepare them and since they were living with me I took care of their welfare as well. The students were all 16 years old, with basic education in Tamil language. As an organisation caring for the well being of these kids and helping to develop their potential as career professionals we jumped head long into using the internet as an important self-study tool. If our plan worked it would mean that we would have the experience and model necessary to promote self-study as an option for other students who want to achieve this benchmark academic qualification. Parents, students and teachers could gain from our experience.

In August 2014 the results of our students came through, here is a simple breakdown of the results of ‘The Boys,’ as we called them:

For four ‘O’ Level Subjects (Mathematics A, Biology, Physics and Chemistry)

Mr. Yuges: 4A

Mr. Ganesh: 2A, 2B

Mr. Moshi: 1A, 3B

Mr. Dines: 1A, 1B, 2C

The Boys, passed all their subjects and our success rate for the target that we set, which was A or B grade for all subjects was 87.5%. We were pleased with the results especially since this was the first attempt for the boys and our preparation period was one and one half years instead of the usual two years. In the next post I will share with you a collection of resources we used for study and prep.

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