laremy.sg

I’m not against the pruning of trees, because pruning does help at times in terms of improving the aesthetics or safety of a place.

What I’m against is the excessive pruning of trees all over Singapore that takes place on a regular basis.

(At the same time, I do wish more trees could be planted in Singapore, but that’s another battle for another time).

That tree gave some much-needed shade to Pooters – something I appreciate because I hate sitting on an over-heated seat and I hate knowing Pooters is exposed to the elements.

There are other benefits to trees in our urban environment too: carbon sequestration, reduction in ambient temperatures, etc. Read more here.

That’s why trees are especially important in a place like sunny Singapore and in a world stricken by global warming.

However, I’ve always felt that whoever makes decision like these – e.g. to prune trees excessively – do so in the right spirit: to neaten and hence beautify the place, to prevent tree branches from falling and killing people during a gale or a storm, etc.

Unfortunately, these decisions seem to always be made in a vacuum, without consideration of other important factors like the ones I mentioned above: shade, shelter, preventing global warming, etc.

Why?

I think this has to do with encouraging critical thinking and providing these people with an actual knowledge of circumstances in our world today.

And that’s why it has never been more important for us to move away from subjects taught in the traditional curriculum, to teaching slightly more multidisciplinary and ‘real-world’ subjects like biodiversity or environmental ethics now.

(via the Arts Community Yahoo! Group)

Dear friends,

Migrant Voices is building Singapore’s first oral history archive for foreign workers.

Oral history is a special type of in-depth interview. Interviewees are simply asked to tell us their ‘life story’ with minimum intervention and questioning. They need to take stock of their lives in the course of telling their stories. In this way, the individual’s perspective can be revealed holistically, and in indirect and revealing ways.

We believe that a public archive of interviews with migrant workers can benefit both workers and Singaporeans. Telling one’s own life stories to interested listeners can be a tremendously healing and empowering experience. The archive will be used to:

• educate the public,
• help policy researchers and activists, and
• instigate change in the working and living conditions of the workers.

Without this “body of evidence” on the modern phenomenon of migrant labor, the voices of the very people at the heart of the process will simply vanish from public record and public memory.Would you be interested in taking part as an interpreter in these interviews, or as a translator behind the scenes? Drop me an email and I’ll send you more information.

Best wishes,

Shengpei
Project Co-ordinator
Migrant Voices Oral History Archive

My e-mail to the ST Forum Online yesterday has been published, albeit under a different heading and very much moderated in tone.

Just a thought: I still see a lot of people using plastic bags, regardless of efforts to encourage the use of reusable bags. The only way we’re gonna get people to use more of the latter (NOTE: I didn’t say stop using plastic bags; the intention should always be to reduce to as small an amount of usage as is humanly possible) is either through:

1. Asteroid,
2. The Internal Security Act, or
3. Money.

Okay, I know I’m over-simplifying, but I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again (because of Jiesheng): human beings are like currents, we follow the path of least resistance. People are gonna keep on using plastic bags until they have enough incentive to stop using them, and the only way we are going to create this incentive in people is through higher rebates.

Methinks it’s a demand and supply thing, and you can probably draw graphs to illustrate, just like you’d do in your ‘A’ Level paper. Comments/thoughts? If there are none, I will assume that I am right (as usual).

Just kidding (about always being right, but am very serious about reducing our use of plastic bags).

Aaron’s comment:

i don’t understand why allen ooi’s suicide is such big state news. Hundreds of youths die everyday.

My take on this:

I think any death is sad and any suicide is even sadder still. In the latter instance, I think the motivations for the action should be brought to light – I’m of the impression that most of the time, people choose suicide because they feel as if they have no other choice. In this case, it might help to uncover why they felt that way, if it helps right wrongs or improve systems such that people don’t have to adopt the view that the only way out of a problem is to end their lives.

In Allan Ooi’s case, it sounds as though his liberties were denied and his freedom was constrained. From the perspective of most liberals/libertarians – and I’m sure you’d agree with me on this – the loss of one’s right to choose is something highly undesirable in any situation, and we should work together to prevent this from happening.