Terence Ng: Sex Life of Snails

On the 18^th February 2014, Island School welcomed Mr. Terence Ng, a Post-doctorate Research Fellow at HKU to speak with Y12 students on his interesting and whimsical scientific research on the behavioral ecology of snails. Mr. Ng has earned many awards in his years as a research and has recently been awarded a research scholarship from The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, which will allow him to develop his research even further in Sweden.

 Mr. Ng talked passionately about his childhood in a small fishing village in China, where he was able to immerse himself in the marine ecosystem around him and discover the beauty of snails, right at his doorstep. According to him, it was this early exposure to snails that allowed him to build a relationship with snails from a very young age and choose to study them in university.

 Despite his parents urging him to consider other career options and telling him that studying a science subject won’t get him a job, Mr. Ng was firm in his love for biology and snails and followed his passion, coming to CUHK to study a BSc degree in Environmental Sciences and Management. Here, he was able to graduate with honors and jump straight into a PhD in Marine Biology at HKU, where he described his wonderful experiences conducting experiences and fieldwork, making friends from all over the world, teaching undergraduate students, and going to conferences in exotic places like Singapore, South Africa, and Russia. All these experiences were even more special, as he was studying a subject he truly loved.

 Mr. Ng then shared the research that he has been doing these few years that had led him to win the Champion and People’s Choice Award at the Three Minute Thesis Competition (3MT) in HKU – the sex life of snails. He told us that although Darwin believed snails didn’t choose their mates, because they were less sophisticated than other mammals, he was able to prove through his research that larger female snails were more attractive to larger male snails – proving Darwin wrong! He also told us about how male snails followed the mucus trails left by female snails in order to “chase” them and mate, another finding of his that is a testament to the dedication he has to research and the intricacies of biology.

 Mr. Ng’s final message was extremely positive and helpful, especially since Y12 is applying for universities this year. He told us to follow our passions, despite what other people may say about the job prospects of a certain career. After all, it is indeed passion that decides how much we enjoy what we do and how much effort we put into it. Ultimately, it is passion that allows us to succeed.  

 We wish Mr. Ng all the best as he goes to Sweden in April to start a new research position with a research focus on sea snails! His humorous, yet informative speech and inspiring message has made him a speaker that we’d definitely like to see return to Island School Speakers’ Hour!

Karina O’ Carroll: Animal Abuse and Cruelty

In 1993, Jill Robinson was visiting a farm in southern China when she stumbled upon a caged moon bear, locked in horrific and cramped conditions.  Five years later, still mentally scarred and traumatised from the event that happened that fateful the day, she founded Animal Asia, an organisation devoted to end bear bile farming, dog and cat welfare and abuse of animals in zoos and safari parks.

On the 3rd December 2013, Island School welcomed Mrs Karina O’ Carroll from Animal Asia to speak with Y12 students on the work they do, how they can help and how we could help stop animal abuse and cruelty in Asia.

Moon bear bile is an ingredient used in traditional Chinese medicine, thus many bears in China and Vietnam are captured as cubs and then kept in bear farms and are regularly “milked” of their bile through painful and unhygienic methods.  In addition to that, the bears are kept in inhumane, cramped and abusive conditions, trapped in restricting cages that prevent movement.  Thus these bears often suffer from a variety of physical and mental ailments, including abnormal muscle growth, loss of hair and malnutrition. Many bears also have missing limbs and develop horrendous cancers and infections from the catheter and the lack of medical attention received following that. Bears often have their claws and teeth pulled out, to prevent them from attacking people.  By being trapped in a cage, moon bears also exhibit signs of mental stress, seen by attempting to chew their own paws off and bashing their heads into bar cages.

And all this torture, all this suffering is inflicted onto the bear just for its bile, even though scientists have found artificial bear bile substitutes, made from plants that do no harm to moon bears.  It was a devastating piece of information for us Y12’s to handle when told.

But it’s not just bear bile farming Animal Asia is hoping to abolish.  How many of you have been to shows where animals perform circus style tricks, such as riding motorcycles and horses? Well, in many zoos and safaris parks in China, animals such as lions and bears receive electrocutions, beatings and other forms of abuse by their masters to force them into submissions and to train them to perform these unnatural tricks and exhibit behavior that a typical wild bear would not show.  In these parks, animals are often mutilated and have their teeth and claws pulled out, afterwards they receive little to no medical attention and are left to die in horrific conditions.   And it’s not only larger animals that are subject to this abuse, live chickens, pigs and cows are often fed to deliberately starving bears and lions as entertainment for crowds.

Another appalling form of animal abuse is one that lies closer to Hong Kong and our homes.  Whilst many of us cherish and love the cats and dogs we keep in our homes as pets, everyday, hundreds and thousands of cats and dogs in the southern provinces of the mainland are killed and captured for their meat and fur.   Governments also organize brutal and unethical dog-killing campaigns to limit the number of strays on the streets.

But what does Animal Asia do to combat these horrendous industries and actions?  Public awareness is one of Animal Asia’s key tools to reduce the bile trade, stop the abuse of countless dogs, cats, and animals suffering in parks.  By raising public awareness through talks, advertising campaigns and other forms of media, Animal Asia hopes to reduce demand for bear bile products, dog and cat meat, and stop consumers and people from visiting and supporting zoos and safari parks.  Animal Asia has also established bear sanctuaries in China and Vietnam where moon bears are rescued and rehabilitated into these sanctuaries, where they can hopefully live, happier, more bearish lives.  Furthermore, Animal Asia also works with local and national governments to end and crack down on bear bile-farming practices, abusive zoos and safari parks and put an end to the killing of dogs and cats.  Animal Asia also supports local NGO’s and provides financial support to them in their efforts to improve dog and cat welfare.

But what can we do?  Firstly, we as consumers can be mindful consumers, aware if the products we buy or the services we use have any animal abuse practices behind it.  We can also donate, provide financial support to Animal Asia and volunteer your time to them, so that Animal Asia can continue doing the work they are doing now.  Furthermore, we can volunteer our help for Animal Asia’s local charity programs, such as Dr Dog and Professor Paws.

By the end of the hour, everyone in Y12 went away having felt informed about the abject conditions of moon bears, dogs, cats and other animals held in captivity and subject to atrocious fates.  By being mindful consumers, being aware of these actions, and knowing how to help, we could all now do our own bit to stop animal abuse and cruelty.

Animal Asia Part 1 Bear Bile:

Animal Asia Part 2 Cat and Dog Welfare:

Animal Asia Part 3 Zoos and Safari Parks

Learn more about Animal Asia Here: https://www.animalsasia.org/intl/index.html

Neelam Harjani: Posture and Stress Management

Ms. Neelam Harjani, the founder of Inspire Yoga came to Island School on the 19^th of November to speak with Year 12 students about how stress can be managed through yoga. Over the past 5 years, Neelam has been teaching in Hong Kong, sharing her passion for yoga with people from all walks of life.

Neelam begins by telling us that yoga is not only a “prelude to gymnastics”, but is much more than that. There are many basic elements in yoga that we can bring into our lifestyle so that we become healthier. With better control over our posture and breathing, stress obtained from exams and large amount of work can be relieved.

When we are going through stressful times, our body often reacts with the tensing up of muscles, and our breathing may even become short and shallow. Breathing is one of the pillars of yoga, and by inhaling and exhaling our breaths will become smooth and deep.  This allows all the muscles in our body to be relaxed, and in return we will not feel like we are under immense amounts of pressure. Neelam then leads us into doing a breathing exercise. We put our right hand on our chest, and our left hand on our abdomen. When breathing in, it was obvious that we were taking in air through our lung, and not as much through our abdomen. Neelam moves on to explain that we only use about 20% of our lung capacity most of the time, and by taking in deeper breaths, our entire body will be oxygenated, and we will be able to work at a more efficient rate without using up as much energy.

Once again, we were asked to do a breathing exercise, but this time, we were asked to breath in through the abdomen instead of our lungs. By breathing through the abdomen, our bodies were calmed and ultimately helped us regulate our stress inducing hormones. By doing this a few times each day, we can get rid of all the stress that has built up in our bodies.

We also learned that our posture was incredibly important in breathing. Neelam asked a volunteer to come to the stage. First, he was asked to sit in a slouched position in the chair. When he breathed in, he often had incredibly short and uneven breaths. This was because his ribcage was constricted. However, an immediate difference was seen when the volunteer sat upright in the chair. He began to breath a more regular rate. Sitting in a upright position means that the crown of our head, shoulders, ribcage and pelvis all have to be in a straight line. By sitting and standing upright, breathing will become relatively easier, and blood circulation in our body will improve drastically. Neelam also went on to explain how we could regulate circulation in our body, including doing twists, which will realign our vertebral collar, allowing parts of our body to become more balanced.

Lastly, Neelam told us all about Inspire Yoga, and how the teachers at this company offer many courses, which help people relieve stress. Each teacher at Inspire Yoga is a specialist in a certain field of yoga, including back care and alignment. One of the most interesting things that Inspire Yoga offers is an “At Home” service. Instructors from Inspire Yoga offer these services at home so that families can do yoga together.

Everyone in Year 12 went away from Speaker’s Hour with a greater understanding of the importance of good posture. Through balanced breathing, we can get rid of stress that has built up from exams and schoolwork. It’s that simple!

Inspire Yoga: http://inspire-yoga.com/

Neelam Harjani: http://inspire-yoga.com/neelam/

Videos:

Matt Friedman – Slavery and Human Trafficking

Matt Biegala – Self Exploration and Travel Mindset

What happens in our minds when we travel on our own?

On September24, Matt Biegala came to Island School and delivered an amazing presentation for students in Year 12 about the psychology of travel.  Firstly, he talked about his own passions for travelling, and how he left his home country, against his parent’s wishes to travel the world and to discover himself. He is an adventurer, and still travels around Hong Kong with his wife.  Matt is now a counselor at St John’s, and also continues to study the psychological changes we go through when we travel.

In his talk, Matt explained that travelling is all about freedom, spontaneity, and being who you want to be. Although we face multiple difficulties during our travels, the end result is always positive because every time we travel, we will discover more about ourselves. After this period of self-exploration, we can move on to pursue the activities that engage us, and maybe even set new life goals for ourselves!

Matt then moves on to tells us how we gain our knowledge of the world. (Very similar to our TOK Classes!) He tells us that our knowledge is brought on through past experiences and our memories, and also from what we are told. However, our beliefs and our own values are sometimes clouded by someone else’s thought. Therefore, when travelling on our own, we first have to put down our “backpack” full of labels and opinions, and look at the world with a fresh new pair of eyes. We also have to think critically about the things we hear and see.   When we are willing to trust our own intuition and think independently, the world will be completely different to us – we will be seeing the world in our own perspective, will be able to think independently!

When travelling to another country, no one knows you. Therefore, everyone gains freedom through travel. We are no longer contained or controlled by anything, and we are free to do whatever we want to do. Visiting a new place would be wonderful, because the country would be completely different from our home country. Any place we travel to will have a different culture; different ideologies, and the locals may even speak a different language. Because of these differences, we are forced to integrate into the society. Through integration, we gain knowledge of many new things – we will become more open minded as we travel. Most importantly, we learn to accept the new culture we live in, and this culture becomes a part of us.

However, every journey has an ending, and when we go back home, we go back to old habits, to our old friends, to old traditions. Matt continues to explain that the end of a journey doesn’t mean that we have to become our old self. We have to take the best from the culture you travelled to and use those qualities in your own life.

At the end of his presentation, all of the Year 12s understood that the purpose of travel is to explore yourself, and become the person you want to be. After this Speaker’s Hour session, we understood that we have to think critically when travelling, and also learn from all of these wonderful experiences. I am sure that all of us came out of Speaker’s Hour with a new mindset for travelling! Hopefully we can use the things we learnt from Matt today when we go on our Quest Week Trips in November!

Rescue as the best breed

“Who in this room owns a household pet?”, immediately, over 90% of us Year 12s raised our hands. It was with this simple question from the passionate HKDR volunteers that we shuffled our chairs forward, sat up straight and fixed our eyes onto the screen. It was clear how useful this week’s session could be to all of us. We were truly privileged to have representatives from Hong Kong Dog Rescue visit us at Island School and educate us enthusiastically about pet trade, adoption, as well as everyday interactions with dogs. From the very start, we were inspired by HKDR’s missionary statement: Rescue, Rehabilitate, Re-home. If there was one motto they stuck to, it was the fact that they never chose to kill any dogs. No matter what age, health condition, type of breed they were. This organization was founded in 2003 and we were all happy to hear that they have already managed to re-home 7000 dogs. However unfortunately, over 12000 dogs are still killed by the AFCD and SPCA every year. This sheer number provoked us to do our part and contribute towards this meaningful cause. In fact, many of our Year 12s are currently involved in volunteering at their shelters. Hence, during our session, Emily Kot (12N) also shared her experiences at the Ap Lei Chau shelter every week. Through her short explanation, we could see her genuine love for all the dogs and the compassion she possessed to help rescue these beloved animals. It was from this that we began to understand why HKDR promotes “rescue as the best breed”. 

On the other hand, HKDR made sure that we were also well informed of the lifelong commitment needed to adopt these dogs. On average, dogs have a life expectance of 12 to 16 years and it costs approximately $8000 a year. Furthermore, enormous amounts of time must be spent taking care of the dog and training them. In particular, HKDR left an impact on us with this honest quote; “There are no such animals as bad dogs. There are only irresponsible owners.” We are positive that after this session, all of us as Year 12s will also remind any close friends and family who are considering adoption, to think everything through before making their final decision. 

 Lastly, the volunteers stressed the importance of desexing and the proposal of new amendments to current AFCD laws on pet trade. We were horrified to hear about the current conditions dogs were put in; for example, many are forced to have their vocal cords cut in order to prevent barking. If HKDR manages to pass the new laws, the government will have the power to take away pet shop licenses when animal rights are violated. In terms of desexing, numerous students became informed of the surprising benefits of such a process. Desexed dogs tend to live longer, behave better and are less prone to diseases. HKDR’s engaging session thus influenced us to utilize our abilities and spread this message with enthusiasm. 

The next time any of us stumble across a dog on the street, we are confident that we will be able to interact appropriately with the dog, yet also, we will be reminded of the necessity to promote HKDR’s primary goal: to rescue, to rehabilitate and to re-home. All in all, this week’s Speaker’s Hour was valuable and especially relevant to many of us with dogs at home! 

 

The Solution Is In The Dialogue

Year 12 students were introduced to the difference between communication and dialogue through Peter Nixon’s talk on how “The solution is in the dialogue”. This interesting Speaker’s Hour got us to think about how to carry out a successful dialogue in the right way at the right time. We were given insight into the exchange of information vs. face to face discussion. Facebook and social media has polluted our minds and ability to think together, focus 100% when in dialogue and express ourselves. Mr Nixon explained the importance of presence when having a conversation, simply by maintaing eye contact and not multi tasking we can improve our dialogue skills. By suspending our judgments and listening intently we can absorb messages from other much more effectively. 

 

A failed dialogue occurs when listeners don’t create the space for people to talk. We end up communicating, instead of having a dialogue. So what is the ‘right way’? The MaMa Technique. Firstly, be present, avoiding multi-tasking and really try to listen to the other person. Mirror what you are being told to clarify you both understand each other then ask a question. Mirror-Ask-Mirror-Ask. We were able to practice this technique amongst ourselves and instantly noticed the difference in communication and dialogue. By planning what you are going to say, connecting with the other person, engaging in effective dialogue and following up with questions you will achieve the solution. 

 

As Year 12 students we are constantly given responsibilities and asked to take on leadership roles. Whether you are on House Prefect duty, talking to Year 7s, or asking companies to sponsor your charity event, it is important you use dialogue to minimize conflict and achieve better solutions. Identify the outcome of what you want to achieve and what method you should be using. Avoid texting someone information if you can call them, or even better speak to them in person. Turn off all digital communication devices once in a while, and engage in the MaMa technique! 

 

Peter Nixon’s presentation has definitely made us all re-think how we communicate. We learnt how we can use effective techniques to close the dialogue gap between what we have and what we want to achieve. The skills we have gained from this Speaker’s Hour will help us in class discussions, leadership roles, dialogue with universities and a lot more! 

Summer Programs and Liberal Arts Colleges

This week, we invited three speakers to talk in Speaker’s Hour about their summer course and university experiences. Two of these speakers: Rachel Mason and Isabelle Basford, are current year 13 students, while Shashwati Rao is an ex-Island school student at the liberal arts college Swarthmore.

Firstly, Isabelle came up and told us about the Global Young Leader’s Conference. This is an annual summer course where participants are given the chance to gain knowledge and different skills on international relations and the workings of the United Nations. We learnt that this conference would give us the invaluable opportunity to visit the UN Headquarters and hear influential figures, such as Mark Grossman, speak. This has managed to inspire a few year 12s to think about attending this, or a similar, leadership program.

Next, Rachel described to us her summer working with Projects Abroad. This collection of projects gave young people the chance to learn about, and to contribute to overseas communities. The trip Rachel embarked on was one to Nepal, which gave her the opportunity to help at a local hospital. The mindset of year 12s leaning towards medicine as a future career were put to the test when we were shown pictures, and were told in detail, about the smell of burning skin, the massive bin of disposed limbs, and the frightening procedures taking place at the hospital. However, despite all this, this program managed to give Rachel an extremely worthwhile summer experience. We learnt that this was an especially valuable program, as no patient consent was needed for operations and consultations to be observed by students, so much more was learnt than could have been offered by local Hong Kong hospitals.

Lastly, Shashwati gave us an excellent overview of the underrated liberal art colleges in the United States. Being a Swarthmore student, she was able to expand on both the advantages and disadvantages of these small colleges. Liberal art colleges allowed for a closer community and increased diversity. These schools also taught students HOW to think, as opposed to merely feeding them information. Swarthmore itself was also a great place to study, as it benefited from a member of their alumni providing the school with free toilet paper. However, Shashwati recognized that liberal art colleges were not for everyone. She stressed that these colleges were definitely worth considering if students were not yet certain what to major in, yet people who had a more focused interest may benefit more from studying at larger universities.

This speaker’s hour session has really made us think more about what to do with our last summer before beginning university. The upcoming summer break would be an ideal time to go out and gain fresh experiences. It would also be an excellent time to perhaps engage in activities that would help give back to the earth and different communities. We were also left pondering whether the big universities with fancy reputations were really the only schools to aim for. Our tertiary education is not only about attending a good university. It is about learning at the university that suits us and our interests best, and that is definitely something that every year 12 needs to consider.

Dr. Mark Gandolfi visits Island School again!

“Sex, drugs, rock and roll.”

This was the catchphrase of Dr. Mark Gandolfi, a counselor at St. John’s. Although he is currently a counselor, his teenage years were filled with alcohol, sex, drugs, and rock and roll. However, these actions have given him the experience and the knowledge to talk to teenagers today, about their lives, and the activities they may engage in.

Hong Kong is definitely not the perfect place for teenagers looking for something to do. Because of this, they get fake IDs, and experiment with alcohol or drugs. However, these are extremely harmful. Dr. Gandolfi did not tell us to stay clear of fun altogether. Instead, he used science and the brain to warn us against the detrimental effects of alcohol and drugs. We learned that we could have fun, but engaging in dangerous and unhealthy activities, especially if they could get us addicted, was not the way to do it.

Dr. Gandolfi also made his talk especially interesting by telling us about the similarities and differences between males and females. This included what each gender looked for in their boyfriends or girlfriends, the number of times each gender thought about sex (250 for males, 25 for females), and the fact that males are actually females in the first seven weeks after conception.

He also told us about the way the brain works, and how there are eight types of intelligence. This means that a person considered not academically ‘smart’ probably has strengths in other areas. We should not ask ourselves the question: “How smart am I?”, but rather the question: “How am I smart?”

The engaging way Dr. Gandolfi spoke to the year 12s really allowed us to understand and feel interested in what was being said. By talking about subjects that were relevant to us, and subjects that we felt interested in, he was able to make us both laugh and feel the seriousness of certain issues. We sincerely thank Dr. Gandolfi for speaking to us in Speaker’s Hour, and hope that he can talk to us again soon!

Andy Statham talks about Trunk Aid

Andy Statham, an ex Island School teacher was “determined to do good” in the community but in an unconventional way. During his time at Island School he inspired many students with his non profit organisation: Trunk Aid. This week he returned to Island School as a guest speaker for the Year 12s.

“Help people to help themselves,” this is the philosophy of Trunk Aid. Mr Statham was convinced that raising thousand of dollars to donate as a hand out was not the way to combat poverty. This realisation occurred during a trip to Baiwan, an eye opening experience that changed the way he perceived charity organisations. The key to making a difference within any underdeveloped community is education. The motivation that the children, in a village like Baiwan, have is beyond what any student at Island School could imagine.

This determination to pass exams came from the fact that if a student failed their whole family would be doomed to poverty. Education, however, was not something every child could enjoy, and so it was clear to Mr Statham that the best way to make a difference would be to sponsor a child’s education. This formed the basis of Trunk Aid and from there a path out of poverty was paved with the help of Mr Statham, Island School students and Ms Chiu.

The next big step was during the 2004 Tsunami relief efforts. After raising HK$500,000 four teachers and four students from Island School went to Sri Lanka, not to give money to every poor person they saw but to find the source of a problem and fix it. For example, by funding 36 fishing boats so the fishermen in a badly struck village can get back to work and raise the money to fix their homes.

Island School continues to support Trunk Aid in projects like funding a chicken farm in Uganda. This year their aim is to focus on funding the education of even more children through the money raised from the annual student organised fashion show, Vivacity. There is always the opportunity for students to get involved and help raise money for this great organisation. Thank you Mr Statham for continuing to inspire students at Island School and for a great start to Year 12 Speakers Hour!

If you have any questions contact Mr Statham at andy@trunkaid.org or visit trunkaid.org