Who on Earth is Consuming the Energy?

The article Biofuel Power Games in last week’s New Statesman revealed the
America’s tricks of gaining a more active position on oil through a diplomatic means. The real purpose of the new partnership based on bio-energy with Brazil is reducing the US’s dependence on imported oil from
Latin America countries. However, biofuel is just an excuse. Oil is still the
America’s prime concern. 

Judging from the US’s previous actions, from the Gulf War in last century, the ongoing Iraq War to the bio-energy diplomatic strategy towards Brazil, owning plenty of oil and energy is of great significance to the
US and every country of the world.  

Undoubtedly, oil and energy have been sensitive affairs. Any country which consumes a lot of oil and energy will be condemned by the others.
China has long been accused by the international community of huge consumption of oil, contributing largely to the greenhouse effect. However, has anyone sat down and thought about their accusation for
China? As the “world’s largest factory”, China does consume lots of energy when processing raw materials into various industrial products such as home appliances, shoes, clothes and so on. However, who does
China produce for? Given the globalization context, the developed countries have transferred their manufacturing factories to China,
India and other developing countries. It is all too common to see the label of “Made in China” when shopping in the
UK. While enjoying the products made in China, is it fair to accuse
China of being the ringleader of energy consumption? I think it is the increasing demands of all human beings that exploiting the world energy reserve.

A Trick of Press Freedom?

The
America has been long regarded as a model of a democratic country. However, Scooter Libby’s accusation of perjury has challenged the
America’s perfect democratic image in my mind. 

Scooter Libby, who was the U.S. Vice Present’s chief of staff, is now on trial for perjury. He was accused of conducting perjury when being testified about whether he had leaked an undercover officer’s identity to a reporter in New York Times. Michael Kinsley expressed his resentful feelings towards this accusation in his article Free Scooter Libby in last week’s Time magazine. Kinsley regards the accusation towards Libby is an unfair treatment and argued that the government should protect and encourage leaks. 

I agree with Kinsley on the point that Libby is a martyr of the press freedom in the
America. People need leaks to keep the government honest in a democratic country. Even though in this case it is far from keeping the government honest, however, as a leaker, Libby should still be protected instead of being questioned whether he had leak Plame identity to anyone. I think it is unreasonable to force him to choose between committing perjury and revealing information he should never been asked for. Although Libby is “charged with perjury, not with the leak itself”, it is, in my eyes, a cunningly tactical way of interfering journalism freedom.  

Hence, in this case the press freedom seems to be squashed to some extent by the
U.S. government in the name of “perjury”. The American media have always criticized
China for a lack of democracy, especially in the journalism freedom. However, this time I’d like to suggest the America examine himself first before rebuking
China’s journalism for a lack of freedom.                                                                                                                           

An Exclusory Voice

The
UK’s conservative image in my mind has been reinforced again.

Perhaps surprisingly, I have changed my impression of the UK as a proud country to it being a more tolerant and multicultural one after coming to the
UK. I saw many Muslims, Japanese, and Chinese groups living in big cities like London and Manchester, composing integrated as parts of the
UK population together with the native Britons.  

However, one leader in last week’s the Economist shattered my newly- formed
UK image. The leader expressed Briton’s dissatisfaction and discomfort towards the foreign migration under a globalisation context. While admitting that the
UK’s economy has benefited from globalisation, the article meanwhile says “Britons have found it socially troubling”. Moreover, it attributes this as “one of the reasons why the country is not entirely at ease with itself.”  

British may be frightened by the specter of terrorism. But is it rational to attach the growing militant values within the young British Muslims community to actually being home-grown Muslim terrorism? Therefore it expresses dissatisfaction with the government’s policy of encouraging migrants to retain their dress, language, faith and customs and suggests the government should “abandon this multiculturalism” and treat the ethnic minorities as “individuals equal before law”.  This in my eyes is undoubtedly an exclusionism. 

This time I regard the
UK as an “intolerant nation” by its exclusory voice from an influential medium. I wonder there is any logical strength between the idea of “Muslim values” and “home-grown terrorist”. Given that globalisation has become an irresistible trend,
Britain needs to work at changing attitudes towards minorities – though its actions abroad may well militate against peaceful relations in the short-term. 

How about a green Xmas?

Animals have no voices but yours…

“Sign this petition and get HLS shut down,” a young lady dressed in white cotton T-shirt is constantly shouting to the passerby, attracting many people to her stall besides Boots in Queen Street, Cardiff.

On this sunshine Saturday afternoon in December 2006, Leah, a member of Newport Animal Rights, is carrying her campaign to call for animal protection. The striking red letters on her slogan claim “take action, fight to save the animals and close the terrible HLS down”.

Huntingdon Life Sciences (HLS) near Cambridge is Europe’s largest commercial animal testing lab but has long been condemned as a profit making organization-killing 500 animals a day in tests for products such as weedkiller, food colourings and drugs. Besides that, HLS have been exposed at least 5 times for disgusting animal cruelty and rule breaking. Luckily, due to the effort of SHAC (Stopping Huntingdon Animal Cruelty), thousands of animals have been saved from vivisection and rehomed.

 However, in the late 2006 two ex-workers in HLS revealed that dogs are still abused inside HLS, which brought HLS into the sight of the public again.

 Besides rebuking animal testing, Leah also advocates “going to vegeratian food” and “fur free”. “People will consume huge amount of meat and fur products during Xmas, so animals will fall into a new round of large scale massacre. I think it’s make sense to hold such an activity now,” said Leah.“Animals have as much right to life as human beings”, said a middle-aged gentleman who has just signed his name on the petition.

Meat is murder

 Every year a billion animals, most of them from factory farms, meet a cruel and early death to satisfy the demand for meat in the UK. Chickens raised for meat live just a few weeks and pigs a mere six month, while sheep average about two years and cattle about four. Fish suffer too, dragged from the deep in their millions to suffocate slowly in the air or be crushed to death by the weight of their dying companions. Choosing not to eat meat, poultry and fish is an important step in showing compassion towards animals and helping to reduce their suffering.

But what’s people’s choice in Cardiff? “Yes, we do have vegetarian food, but most people prefer meat,” said George, waiter of The OLD ARCADE restaurant.

Fur in fashion

 Meat is definitely not the only contribution made by animals. Fur is another thing that humans despoil from the poor animals. Take a close look at River Island, Zara, Gap and other shops in Queen Street. Fur products are still among the best-sellings. Although the UK government banned fur farming in 2003, the trade in imported fur continues. In other countries, millions of chinchillas, lynx, foxes, mink and even hamsters are farmed for fur, which is sold in the UK.

 

Xmas is coming. People will indulge themselves in guzzling the sumptuous Xmas meals and buying ostentatious fur jackets, while the innocent poor animals have no other choice but waiting to be slaughtered, weeping with desperation. Perhaps their last thought is “how about a green Xmas, free from meat and fur?”

Indelible Poppies in the Pre-Christmas Rush

Walking on Queen Street in Cardiff’s city centre on 11^th, Nov, a beautiful sunny Saturday morning, the most impressive view is the people, carrying their shopping bags, with red poppies pinned on their collars. 

 It’s not a massive-scale fashion show, but a symbolic gesture in memory of the fallen in past wars. Undeniably we’re living in an age that history becomes a solemn topic, two great World Wars seem a long way off to us, and commercialized society swallows up many traditions. Yet, when it comes to Remembrance Day, people in Cardiff spare their pre-Christmas attention, showing respect to the brave servicemen sacrificed in the wars through various memorial events. 

Schedule: what has happened in Cardiff as for the Remembrance Day? 

One week before Remembrance Weekend, the scarlet poppies on Remembrance Crosses were planted on the lawn of Cathays Park. Each cross stands as a proud tribute in memory of a life lost too soon.On 11 November, detachments from Welsh regiments marched from King Edward VII Avenue via Museum Avenue to the Welsh National War Memorial in Alexandra Gardens, Cathays Park, Cardiff, creating a mute scene in contrast with the colorful Christmas atmosphere.

At 11:00 am in Cathays Park, the beginning of a two-minute silence was marked by the firing of a gun. Hundreds of people gathered together on the lawn awash with scarlet poppies and remembrance cross, showing a reflective mood as they bowed their heads.

Other memorial events also took place in other parts of Cardiff; varying from the two minutes silence in the front of the Millennium Stadium of the ordinary people to the officially events in National War Memorial attended by the dignitaries.

No matter how it was observed by different people in different ways, even in the busy pre-Christmas period, when every shop is ready to launch their Christmas promotion, people in Cardiff still slow their steps, wearing scarlet poppies to commemorate the servicemen and women who made the ultimate sacrifice to protect their country.

Hopes: from the younger generation

 Young people are always being criticized as ‘an anti-social generation’; turning a blind eye to traditional values and history; however, their participation and enthusiasm in this year’s Remembrance Day Service in Cardiff contradicted that partial notion. Peter, a 17-year-old boy, attending the service in Cathays Park with his parents on Saturday said: ‘Although some people of my generation may take their freedom for granted, there are many others who do understand the sacrifices that these brave men and women have made for a better tomorrow.’ In addition to Peter, there were many other teenagers who stood in the ‘sea of poppies’ in Cathays Park, observing the two-minute silence with the same solemn expression as the old generation. 

Undoubtedly, everyone is getting excited and lured by the fancy windows decorated in shops like Zara, River Island, Principles, reveling in shopping and preparing Christmas gifts, nonetheless, so many people began wearing the traditional scarlet poppies several days before Remembrance Sunday.

 In marking this gratitude to the fallen of past wars, the people of Cardiff demonstrated their sense of honor and humanity.

I change my topic ^*^

Hi~Matthew,

Thanks for ur comment!

I considered ur suggestion later and found the logical strength between the likely increase in tourism during Xmas news of Cardiff International Airport was too weak. So I changed my topic to the Remembrance Day in Cardiff. Because I was impressed these days by people in the street, wearing red poppies, which seems new and interesting to me.

I want to write this topic also because four British servicemen were killed in a bomb attack on a boat in southern Iraq on last Sunday. I think war and peace are still the topic that concerns us and can hook the readers’ attention.

I’ve interviewed some people took part in the memorial service in the Cathays Park on Sunday.

My angle of this article is that although Cardiffians are busying preparing for the Xmas, shopping and enjoying fun of pre-Xmas, they yet neglect the poppies day, took part in the memorial activities, showing their sadness and respect to the fallen in the war.

To Matthew’s Assignment

I’m going to write about local people’s reaction towards the possible booming of tourism in Cardiff during Christmas holiday.

The Welsh airport announced on 6th, Nov. that they are going to offer on-line global booking , providing inbound travellers with the same service as UK passengers, which may effect local tourism of Cardiff for in Chirstmas.

I’d like to interview some people in related business areas.

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