Here’s this week recap of some of the events that happened across the globe.
WORLD: NOTE FOUND IN SAKS BAG
28-year-old Stephanie Wilson was shocked beyond words when she discovered a note from a prisoner in China in a bag she purchased from an American luxury department store, Saks in New York. In the note, the man was asking for help and said he was forced to work 13 hours a day to produce paper bags, electronic goods and garments. She notified the human rights Laogai Research Foundation, which started a search for the man’s whereabouts but it was through social media accounts that they found him. The man was detained in Qingdao after being arrested for fraud in May 2011, which he denies. In December 2013, he was released for his good behaviour.
SINGAPORE: DRINK, DRUNK, PUNCH
For punching a cab driver on his head and shoulder, Ng Lek Wee, 26, was jailed for five weeks. When the cab driver woke him up to ask about the exact drop-off point, the bank employee started becoming aggressive, questioning why he can’t stay in the cab longer. He punched the victim on his eye, head and shoulder several times after being told the fare was $25, to which he continued punching the victim again. After leaving without paying, Ng realised he left his mobile phone in the cab, and immediately called the phone company to suspend the line. Upon being charged, Ng said he was not in the right mind as he was drunk. We all definitely figured that out.
TECHNOLOGY: THE ‘PERFECT’ CUP OF TEA
Would you pay over a whopping $16,000 SGD for a machine that makes the perfect cup of tea? We know we wouldn’t. According to Bkon, the manufacturing company, the brewing process is a lot more complicated than simply dipping a tea bag into boiling water. The machine uses a brewing chamber, which creates a negative pressure that brings the tea leaves to the surface of the liquid, which draws out the flavour more accurately. Perhaps it brings the taste of tea to a whole new level, but with that amount of money, you could probably spend it on a holiday in Europe.
CELEBRITY: ZAC EFRON’S ADDICTION?
There was a huge hoo-ha when the high school musical star went to rehab in 2013 but it was never clear why. However, Zac Efron recently came clean about his rehabilitation, revealing that it was because of alcohol and drug use. It was a hard time for him, as he had to act in various roles. He felt like something was lacking and the only thing that could fill the hole up was alcohol and drugs. Since then, he sought therapy and joined ‘Alcoholics Anonymous’ that helped to change his life significantly. Kudos to him for learning from his mistakes and living life the proper way now.
HEALTH: ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE
The World Health Organization (WHO) has analysed data from 114 countries and has discovered that humanity is slowly building a resistance to antibiotics. Why is this worrying? Well, the cure for most infections used to be antibiotics, and as they’re reaching the good-for-nothing status, this means that even the most minor infections could have some of us reaching our graves a lot sooner. As no solution has come to mind, the WHO has advised government bodies and individuals to do their part in slowing down the process of growing resistance by staying healthy as much as possible, while scientists carry on their search for new antibiotics. So, if you haven’t been taking care of yourself, now is a good time to start.
