Nobel laureate Norman Borlaug, often credited as the man who saved a billion lives, died on Saturday (Sept 12) at age of 95. Rest in peace.
The American agricultural scientist won the 1970 Nobel Peace Prize for pioneering the Green Revolution and developing high-yielding crops that helped to prevent hundreds of millions of people from dying through famine.
Read more about Norman Borlaug at Timesonline & Wiki
Scientists are often unsung heroes. We should sometimes reflect on what we are enjoying these days and thanks those folks that make things happen for us.
Taiwan suffered their worst flood in 50 years after being struck by Typhoon Morakot last week; at least 65 are confirmed dead, with hundreds still missing.
Kaohsiung County was the worst hit area; a deadly mudslide buried Hsiaolin village and nearby neighbourhood, with over 600 villagers feared dead.
Philippines and China were also affected by the typhoon; while Japan hit by tropical storm Etau at the same period. Death toll includes 23 in the Philippines, 13 in Japan and six in China [according to Guardian]
Morakot hit Taiwan late night on August 7 and caused 14+ hours of havoc before leaving for China; but heavy rain continued to pour, which caused massive flood (and landslide, mudflow etc.) particularly in southern Taiwan.
Taiwanese are no strangers to typhoon; but rescue effort appeared to be short-handed because of the unexpected scale of devastation. Hope that more survivors could be rescued, God bless.
Both North Korea and South Korea have qualified from the Asian groupings to play in the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.
It will be the first time in history that both nations are participating in the same tournament.
North Korea will be making only their 2nd appearance; their first was a fairy tale journey in 1966 in which they defeated European giant Italy en route to the quarter finals, a result that stunned the footballing world.
South Korea on the other hand is the most successful Asian team in World Cup history and will be making their 8th appearance in 2010. Their best result was 4th place in 2002 when they were joint host (with Japan) for the event.
The Koreans met in the qualifying stage in which the southern counterpart has the upper hand with a win and a draw. The northern boys are unlikely to get their revenge in 2010 though, as chances are pretty slim for them to meet each other.
The diary of a Saudi princess…
Staying at George V Hotel in Paris – £2,500 a night
Shopping at O Caprices De Lili for expensive lingeries – £60,000
Shopping at Key Largo for casual wear – £130,000
Shopping at other 30 fashion boutiques – NA… too many zeros to count
Dry cleaning my wardrobe collection – £30,000 a week
Total unpaid bills – £15 million
Solution… claims diplomatic immunity; no need to pay a single cent
Life is good for a Saudi princess.
The polluted Buriganga River in Dhaka city, capital of Bangladesh which is often rated as one of the world’s worst cities to live in…
My heart wrenched when I watched the kids swimming in the river like a fun-filled swimming pool; it’s saddening, yet reminded me of how blessed I am.
Former South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun died after falling from a mountainside on Saturday morning.
Roh left a suicide note on his computer that he was going through hard times, apparently referring to the recent bribery probe surrounding him and his family [more on Yonhap]
Roh, 62, was South Korea’s President in 2003-2008. He moved to Bongha Village, near his birthplace, after leaving the office in March 2008.
Reports have suggested that investigation on Roh and his family is likely to be ended following his death; and it might be what Roh was hoping for.
His death still sounds fishy though… leaving a suicide note on PC instead of a hand written one? And amusingly discovered by his aides in hours? Who would bother to check his PC shortly after his death? It’s just a bit too convenient imo.
A woman was attacked by a polar bear at Berlin Zoo on Saturday after jumping into the enclosure area; she was rescued and survived with a few (probably really huge) bite marks. Video below, view at your own discretion…
It’s unsure why she jumped (certainly not accidental); it’s beyond stupidity. She’s lucky though, that the bears have lost some predator instinct after years in enclosure.
Delegates from a Japanese association has made their 24th annual visit (on Mar 31) to the Nanjing Massacre Memorial Hall for their tree planting project as an apologetic gesture for the Nanking Massacre.
The Chinese claims that 300,000 civilians and unarmed soldiers were brutally killed by the Imperial Japanese Army during the confrontation in 1937.
The association started planting trees around the memorial in 1986; and over 1000 delegates (including some ex-soldiers) have visited the place since then, with some 60,000 trees being planted in the area [image from NJ1937 (Cn)]
Besides being apologetic, the association also hopes to spread their anti-war message and to teach younger Japanese generations about the part of war history that are often neglected (sometime twisted) in Japanese text book.
Nanking Massacre will always be a pain for the Chinese; I am not suggesting that they should forget or forgive the Japanese for what they did, it’s out of my business. I hope that the Chinese could be reminded though, that there are at least some Japanese people that are working to amend the damages from their past.
