Sulphur - rings a bell?

"Sulphur is a yellow non-metallic element, found in the free state.

It is used to harden rubber used for making tyres.

It is also used in the manufacture of sulphuric acid, pesticides and drugs'

This element is commonly associated with the Devil or Satan that is. Many people have accounts of smelling sulphur(rotten-egg smell) when witnessing the Devil. Piqued by curiosity, I was determined to find out if this is found in the bible, flipping and pouring through the endless pages of yellow, my landed on this:

About a century or two before the birth of Christ. Satan almost certainly gets his rotten scent from his underworld lair, described in the Book of Revelation as a "lake of burning sulphur." Hell as such doesn't appear in the Old Testament, but the book of Genesis does recount how God "rained down burning sulphur on Sodom and Gomorrah." The idea of a sulfurous Hell ruled by an archvillain called Satan seems to have arisen at some point in the period between when the two sacred texts were written—probably in the first or second centuries B.C. The Apocryphal Books of Enoch, for example, talk about a place of punishment with "rivers of fire" and "a smell of sulphur."

The idea that Satan had a strong odor is consistent with ancient attitudes about smells. A connection between sweet, dry smells and the divine goes back to the Greek epics, and it shows up in precise terms in the Old Testament: The Lord tells Moses to prepare an anointing oil "blended as by the perfume" consisting of liquid myrrh, cinnamon, cassia, and olive oil. Rotten-smelling gases like hydrogen sulfide would have been associated with moral corruption.

Sources: www.slate.com

Projects day preparation

It has been a fruitful day, very fruitful indeed. Much has been done today, from polishing of powerpoints slides to rehearsing. Although it was exhauting, the sense of satisfaction and achievement never seems to tire me, pushing me on instead. With the day at an end soon, it is imperative that I get enough rest for tomorrow- the day of reckoning has finally arrived!

Mao Tse Tung (26 December 1893 – 9 September 1976) is a great leader that I admire. He was a Chinese Communist dictator, leading the Communist Party of China (CPC) to victory against the Kuomintang (KMT) in the Chinese Civil War. He was the leader of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) from its establishment in 1949 until his death in 1976. Mao Tse Tung has been regarded as one of the most important figures in modern world history, and named by Time Magazine as one of the 100 most influential people of the 20th century. He is officially held in high regard in China where he is known as a great revolutionary, political strategist, and military mastermind who defeated Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek in the Chinese Civil War. His policies transformed the country into a major world power. Besides that, he is viewed by many in China as a poet, philosopher, and visionary.

However, Mao Tse Tung remains a controversial figure to this day, with a contentious and ever evolving legacy. Critics blame many of his socio-political programs, such as the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution, for causing severe damage to the culture, society, economy, and foreign relations of China, as well as a probable death toll in the tens of millions. Although his methods and ways of achieving a goal were considered cruel by many, it is without doubt and indisputable that Mao Tse Tung has made China a much more powerful country.

Reference: http://www.wikipedia.com

Investigators struggle to explain German school killings

Bewildering is it not? Teenagers nowdays seem to be on a "killing spree". Is the influence of media getting too strong? Or is the world plummetting into a state of mayhem? These questions whirled in my head aimlessly. It is so common to hear of teenagers killing students and teachers in school with a gun nowadays that it did not astonish me much when I hear of such events. This is causing me some considerable consternation. Many experts and phycologists have claimed that the violent and irrational behaviour portrayed by children and teenagers is mainly due to the influence of the violent video and computer games they spend hours playing. I do not deny that fact at all. It is indeed a factor but, have you wondered why teenagers engage in playing violent computer and video games when this problem did not even exist last time? Yes, it can be due to the ever-advancing technology and teenagers feel "left-out" if they do not keep up with the trends. But, is that the real reason behind all questions? In my opinion, it is NOT. I think that the teenagers play and engage in hours of violent computer and video games because they long to feel the sense of satisfaction they cannot achieve in reality. By attaining a high level of recognition in a game, the teenager feel a sense of great satisfaction, similar to scoring straight "A's" in school. It is their desire to stand out and feel important. This will ultimately lead to commiting more daring acts to show their power and might. Thus, in my humble opinion, lead to killings and assults.

NTU professor discharged from hospital

It is a great relief to hear that the professor who was stabbed by a student at the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) on Monday was discharged from hospital early Wednesday morning after a speedy recovery. With reference to this incident, I would wish to comment and raise my views about the rash and irrational student who attacked the professor. By committing such a serious offence, he reflects very poorly on himself, portraying himself as a person who is unable to manage stress and solve problems. Although it is stated that the student attacked the professor due to his terminated scholarship, this is definitely not a valid reason. I am sure that there will be a lot of assaults daily if such an offence were to be condoned when a reason like this was given. By stabbing the professor and committing suicide, the student is obviously not solving any problems but in fact, creating more problems. First of all, he is acting as a bad role model for other distressed students. Committing suicide is the easy way out, a path that bears no consequences experienced physically, leaving others to solve the problems one has created. The student had obviously not spared a thought for his grieving parents, not forgetting the fact that they had nurtured him and toiled hard to feed him. If I were the student, I would never do such a foolish and irrational act. Instead, I would work harder and strive to greater heights, treating the termination of the scholarship as a lesson learnt instead of a discouraging fact. Hurting others or oneself will never never the best solution.

Deadly tornado kills 8 in Oklahoma

It is unfortunate and devastating to hear of such a tragedy. The vagaries of Mother Nature really astonishes the unsuspecting victims, sending them to their "airy-grave". I feel really fortunate to be in Singapore where there are no such catastrophes. I guess it is considerably disturbing to be walking down the street and worrying if the ground is going to split into two parts or if a gale is appraoching. But life still has to go on. It is very unfortunate though. So many major incidents in a week. Australia's wildfire.... Terrorist attacks... Earthquakes.... and a tornado... tomorrow is Friday the 13th......

ACE blog prompt

Should science be used to artificially improve someone's intelligence or external appearance?

Plastic surgeries, advanced simming programmes, instant acne removal surgeries and treatments. These are the few common examples of science being used to artificially improve ones external appearance. In my opinion, by having these advancements, things have became much more easier. An overweight and obese person no longer have to run rounds everyday to get slim. Just sign up for an advanced slimming programme and the next thing you know, "POOF!" He lost a respesctable amount of weight. If this persists, we human beings will get lazier by the day and rely solely on machines for our work. I think in the near future, people will be able to change the looks of their faces, bringing danger to the world. People will be able to disguise as each other and get away with whatever crime they perpetrated. Now lets talk about using science to improve one's intelligence. If everyone goes for this operation or treatment, will there be a need to get smark or clever? Everybody will be as smart and as clever! So it goes back to square one. It will be as good as not coming out with this operation as people can get smart so easily without working hard and I am positive that many people will go for the operation. Thus, I personally feel that science should not be used to artificially improve someone's intelligence or external appearance.