Spanish bull rampage

Yesterday, in Spain, a raging bull jumped out of the arena at a Spanish bullring and ran around in the crowd. Once it had jumped out of the ring, the bull tried to make its way upwards. The spectators that were in its path hurridly got out of its way, and in this confusion, some spectators were injured. The spectators tried to enter the ring to escape from the bull. Eventually, after a while, the spectators restrained the bull and after a few minutes, the bull was brought under control and was killed.

In the confusion, approximately 40 people were injured but there were no casualties. Most of the injured were treated for cuts and bruises, said officials in the northern town of Tafalla. However, 9 of the injured were sent to a hospital and among them was a 10-year-old boy who apparently suffered multiple bruising when the bull fell on him, and a 24-year-old who was gored. 

Analysts say that bulls occasionally leap security fences at bullrings but they rarely make it into the crowd. This particular incident comes at a time amid intense debate in Spain over the centuries-old tradition of bullfighting in Spain. In a recent opinion poll, 60 per cent of Spaniards said they do not like the spectacle, which ends with the death of the bull from a well-placed sword.

I feel that bullfighting should be banned. This is because bullfighting is essentially making fun of a bull by making it run here and there in an arena. The bull will then be killed with a sword. Moreover, the matador in the arena with the bull has a very high chance of being either injured or killed by the bull whenever something goes wrong. 

This is evident in the incident that happened during April this year. One of Spain's top bullfighters was badly gored during a fight in Mexico. The extent of injury is shown when he needed to be immediately operated on at the scene due to a punctured vein and artery. He was bleeding so badly that officials appealed over loudspeakers for compatible donors to come forward from the crowd.

This shows even experienced bullfighters can get badly injured in a fight, so what are the chances of less experienced bullfighters being free of injury after every fight? So in conclusion, I feel that bullfighting should be banned for the benefit of both the bull and the matador.

Sources:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8642637.stm

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-11022260

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/08/19/2987218.htm

First poll in Burma (Myanmar) in two decades

Burma Coat of Arms

Burma, or otherwise known as Myanmar, will be holding its first general elections on 7 November 2010. This was announced yesterday by ruling generals, ending months of speculation. The poll is the first since pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) won a landslide victory in 1990. The military never allowed her party to take power, and it was disbanded. Ms Suu Kyi has been either in jail or under house arrest in the past 20 years, and has been barred from standing because of past criminal convictions, as are many other pro-democracy activists.

Critics of the elections say that it will be a sham, due to the poll laws which are in the favour of the authorities. The law states that those with criminal convictions and members of religious orders cannot take part, ruling out many activists and monks. A new consititution reserves 25% of the parliament for the military, and some of the parties that have registered for the polls are seen to be proxies of the military. 

One party not linked to the military has already complained to the Election Commission that its members are being intimidated. Ironically, the members of the Election Comission are handpicked by the Burmese military government.

I feel that this election is a complete sham as the current military government seems to have removed any loopholes that might be exploited by the opposition, thus reducing chances that any party that could gain an overall majority of the votes could register. Moreover, even if the
military's worst-case scenario happens, they would still be in control of 25% of the parliament. With the new constitution stating that any constitutional change would have to garner more than 75% approval of the parliament, it meant that the military would effectively still be in control of the parliament.

Despite this, there are still people that feel that this election, however flawed, could be the start of a process of much-needed change.

Source:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-10961366

Former Cuban President - Fidel Castro, warns of nuclear "holocaust"

Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz (born August 13, 1926) is a Cuban politician and former president. One of the primary leaders of the Cuban Revolution, Castro served as the Prime Minister of Cuba from February 1959 to December 1976, and then as the President of the Council of State of Cuba and the president of Council of Ministers of Cuba until his resignation from the office in February 2008. He currently serves as First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba, a position he has held since its inception in 1965.

Yesterday, he mustered enough strength to address the country's parliament, for the first time since his health crisis four years ago, to issue a dire warning of a nuclear holocaust. Castro said it would be up to US President Barack Obama to issue an order to carry out such a strike, but that, if he realised the consequences of this action, "he would not give it". He stressed that should nuclear war be unleashed, "the existing world order would not survive and would immediately collapse". 

I agree with Fidel Castro. This is because if we look at the past (1945, to be exact), when the US dropped the nuclear bombs onto Hiroshima and Nagasaki, "within the first two to four months of the bombings, the acute effects killed 90,000–166,000 people in Hiroshima and 60,000–80,000 in Nagasaki, with roughly half of the deaths in each city occurring on the first day". This shows the devastating impact nuclear bombs has on the targeted country/city. Combined with the dense population the world now has, I am sure the casualities of the nuclear war will make the casualties of the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki seem negligible. Moreover, it will be the innocent civilians that will suffer the most from the nuclear war. So, I feel that nuclear war should be avoided for the sake of mankind.

Sources:

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_world/view/1074095/1/.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atomic_bombings_of_Hiroshima_and_Nagasaki

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fidel_Castro

Vulnerability in Apple's Operating System

Apple's operating system for the iPhone, iPad tablet computer and iPod music player have been discovered to have two vulnerabilities, says security firms. The vulnerability could be exploited by remote attackers to take complete control of a vulnerable device. However, at present, experts say that the threat only exists on paper but Apple has to address this issue before it becomes a reality.

Apple said that the company was aware of the report and was investigating. One vulnerability is caused by a glitch triggered when a user views data in Portable Document Format (PDF) documents. As Apple's Mobile Safari automatically opens PDF files, a hacker could embed malicious codes into this files.

However, ironically, the only way to prevent Mobile Safari from automatically opening PDF files is by jailbreaking a phone and installing an application called PDF Loading Warner. That application asks for permission everytime the browser tries to open an PDF file. 

Now, it up to Apple to release a patch that would either prevent Jailbreak from working or close the highlighted security flaw. But, in retrospect, Apple has been slow to fix problems on their mobile browsers.

Personally, I feel that Apple, now, has to change the way it faces problems, and fix this current one as soon as possible. This is because once the threat becomes real, it will be even more difficult for Apple to prevent it, and the unknowing users might fall victim to the hackers.

Sources:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-10865288

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/technologynews/view/1073721/1/.html