Report

Our Final Report
ok, here is the team organisation! insert the rest of the report below~Kang Hui


 * TEAM ORGANISATION**

Our project name, Bird Busters was thought by Kang Hui. Our working wikispace was done by all the group members. This wikispace was used for our CmPS group's planning and discussion. The public wikispace was planned by Kang Hui and Heidi. This wikispace will be released to the public after making final ammendments. Bijou and Natalie planned the games. These games were to make the students more aware of the bird issue in a fun way. Heidi and Natalie planned the video and skit. It will be acted out during assembly. The R.A.G.G planned the exhibition area. We will be putting up our posters and explaining the issue on the birds to the students. The posters were done by Kang Hui and Jina. Heidi, Natalie and Jina got the Prinicipal's permission for the special assembly and the exhibition area. Report: Bijou did the area on alternative solutions. Natalie wrote the plan of action. Natalie worked on compiling the resources. Melissa and Jina wrote out the accomplishments. Kang Hui and Bijou did the Team Organisation Melissa and Heidi wrote the part about implementation of the plan of action.

22 Aug 08
This is the ultry-ultra-confirmed-sent-1st report:

25 July 08
This is the final report. ~Kang Hui



24 July 08
This is most of the report we need, done by me. pls edit and improve. the word limit is almost reached i think...~Jina Micro wd version:

AREA OF CONCERN: BIRDS IN THE CANTEEN · ** background information of the school: ** o ** Rosyth **** School is a primary school in Singapore serving a school population of about 2700 pupils aged between 6 and 12 years of age. It is located in the middle of Serangoon North, a densely-populated housing estate solely comprising apartment blocks interspersed with some trees and greenery. Singapore is a hot and humid country 87 miles from the equator. Its seasons consists of the dry and rainy seasons. **  · **background info of the problem ** o  ** One of the problems faced by the school is the number of birds that come into the school premises. These birds can be found in all the open areas of the school such as open corridors, the indoor basketball court and the lobby but the largest numbers are found in the school canteen and around the guard post. The most common birds are sparrows, mynahs, crows and pigeons. **o **Birds Habitat o Crows get along in extremely varied habitat. They thrive everywhere, from the semi-arid regions of the west to the big timber land of the north. They probably prefer farmland, but are also found in parks, on wooded islands, in wooded areas on the fringes of towns and, increasingly, even in our largest cities. Generally, crows are most numerous in agricultural districts with a great variety and plentiful supply of food. One habitat necessity is an adequate number of trees for cover and nesting sites. Farm woodlots are ideal for this. Nests built and abandoned by crows sometimes provide habitat for birds that, ironically, are one of the crow’s age-old enemies: the great horned owl. There's plenty of suitable habitat for crows across the country today. Undoubtedly, the species will be with us indefinitely — especially since more and more people have a better understanding of crows and the beneficial services they provide. **  <span style="font-size: 10pt; color: rgb(193, 126, 205); font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 10pt; color: rgb(164, 97, 184); font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; color: rgb(207, 148, 214); font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 10pt; color: rgb(221, 150, 238); font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">**<span style="font-size: 10pt; color: rgb(193, 126, 205); font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 10pt; color: rgb(164, 97, 184); font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">o <span style="font-size: 10pt; color: rgb(224, 153, 230); font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 10pt; color: rgb(164, 97, 184); font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">Sparrows prefer to nest in protected man- made or natural areas. Building ledges, openings in structures, gutters, signs, light fixtures, birdhouses, under the eaves of a house, bridges, electrical power lines and transformers are areas which are often used to construct nests. Sparrows also displace other birds from their nest; destroy their eggs and use their nests for their own brood. Both sexes construct a rather large and flimsy nest from straw, grass, feathers, strips of paper, string and other debris. House sparrows frequently nest in kitchen, bathroom, oven and dryer vents. ** o  ** problems caused by birds ** §<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal"> ** Although in some ways it might be pleasant to have birds in one’s environment, these birds present certain problems. Some of the birds roost in nests built close to classrooms and the noise from the birds can sometimes be distracting. This is limited to a few areas. A bigger problem is caused by the birds in the canteen. These have become quite a nuisance as they scavenge the area for leftovers. They also pose a real danger to health and hygiene as they leave their bird droppings on canteen tables and steal unattended food thus, contaminating it. ** o<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal"> ** what have we done to find out more about this problem ** §<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal"> ** we have carried out observations in the canteen on the number of birds found as well as the factors affecting the birds’ presence. We have also carried out a survey to find out how many students have been affected and their opinions on this topic. Interviews with the principal, canteen vendor, students and school attendants on their opinions have also been done. Besides that, we have also researched on birds to find out more about them, research on the possible causes of the birds coming to the school, what others in Singapore have done about this bird problem and the harmful effects of the birds’ presence. ** o<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal"> ** Findings ** §<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal"> ** We have found through the survey and interviews that some people look at the birds presence as something positive instead of most of the others who look at the birds in a negative aspect. We have also found that more than half of the students who responded to the survey have been negatively affected by the birds, not a good sign. <span style="background: lime none repeat scroll 0% 0%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial">Through our observations and research, we have found, that the birds have nowhere to go. We have also found that the crows are the most daring of the lot, stealing food even when there is a “guard” over it, thus the crow is the one causing the most trouble. ** §<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal"> ** Factors affecting the birds presence ** §<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal"> ** Weather is one of the main factors involved here. Through observations, we have seen that the birds come, not only for the food, but to seek shelter from the sun or rain. The presence of food and lack of presence of people also have an impact as the birds come most in between recesses, where there are very little people, but leftovers are there for them to feast on. Lastly, the difficulty to get in. The birds are found in open areas because it is more difficult to go into closed areas like the classrooms as they have windows and doors unlike open spaces like the canteen. ** o<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal"> ** how the school has tried to help ** §<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal"> ** The school has removed coloured plates from ceiling which used to attract many birds and these birds would nest up there, causing even more trouble in the canteen. The school has also put in proper covers on the bins where students return their cutlery and crockery as these are one of the birds’ favourite places to scavenge for food. There also seems to be a kind of scarecrow put there recently in the form of a big black bird. Lastly, we have teachers patrolling the canteen at recesses to make sure the students put their cutlery and crockery in the right places. ** o<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal"> ** effectiveness of above ** §<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal"> ** birds have no longer nested in the canteen ceiling since then, which means it is no longer a home for the birds where they have food and shelter which makes them stay on long-term. With the covers in place, the birds can no longer scavenge for food from the bins. Sadly, the scarecrow does not seem to work as we see birds just flying past them, not caring a hoot about its presence. Having teachers in the canteen is effective to some degree as most students put their cutlery and crockery in the right places where no bird can reach them now. However, there is only one teacher at one time, and that one teacher cannot possibly oversee all the pupils at the same time so some pupils still leave their plates around. At lunch, there is also no teacher there to oversee students so some students get away with leaving plates around. ** o<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal"> ** types of birds (natalie) ** There are many different types and species of birds. This could be a problem, as the birds might need different methods to get rid of. Only certain types of birds scavenge for food from school canteens and other places. The birds that cause problems for us are crows, mynahs, sparrows and sometimes pigeons. These birds all have different reasons for scavenging and therefore cause problems in different ways and need different solutions. Crows and mynahs are the more daring of the birds that come. They sometimes even take the food from the table even if someone is watching the food or just standing nearby. Sparrows and the occasional pigeon usually only take food that has been left behind or crumbs on the floor. §<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal"> ** about the birds ** §<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal"> ** habits (bijou) ** §<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal"> ** Sparrows ** §<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal"> ** In unnatural habits ** Sparrows tend to be very territorial, as individuals and as flocks and restrict their nesting and feeding to specific locations. They foul structures with their droppings, particularly those areas used for roosting and loafing sites. Sparrows also enter food plants, warehouses, department stores and malls where they often contaminate food products or other merchandise. Their droppings can contain a variety of disease causing bacteria, fungi, nematodes, etc. §<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal">  ** Crows ** §<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal"> ** Natural Habits ** §<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; color: rgb(35, 31, 32); line-height: 150%; font-family: Arial">Flocks of crows range widely for food, up to 30 miles a day in winter. Foods include grasshoppers, caterpillars, grubs, worms, most insects, grain, fruit, the eggs and young of other birds, organic garbage — just about anything that they can find or overpower. Crows also feed on the carcasses of winter- and road-killed animals. <span style="font-size: 10pt; color: rgb(35, 31, 32); line-height: 150%; font-family: Wingdings">§<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal"> **<span style="font-size: 10pt; color: rgb(35, 31, 32); line-height: 150%; font-family: Arial">Unnatural Habits ** <span style="font-size: 10pt; color: rgb(35, 31, 32); line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Courier New'">o<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; color: rgb(35, 31, 32); line-height: 150%; font-family: Arial">Crows not only live alongside man, they’ve survived in spite of him. Because of their habits of pulling up corn shoots and occasionally robbing game bird nests, crows have been persecuted. Today, however, humans also recognize the crow’s beneficial side — in helping control harmful insects such as tent caterpillars, locusts and white grubs, in cleaning up dead road-killed birds and animals, and even our improperly disposed garbage. §<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal"> ** natural habitat (bijou) ** §<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal"> ** Sparrows ** o<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal"> Sparrows prefer to nest in protected man- made or natural areas. Building ledges, openings in structures, gutters, signs, light fixtures, birdhouses, under the eaves of a house, bridges, electrical power lines and transformers are areas which are often used to construct nests. Sparrows also displace other birds from their nest; destroy their eggs and use their nests for their own brood. Both sexes construct a rather large and flimsy nest from straw, grass, feathers, strips of paper, string and other debris. House sparrows frequently nest in kitchen, bathroom, oven and dryer vents. §<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal"> ** Crows ** o<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; color: rgb(35, 31, 32); line-height: 150%; font-family: Arial">Crows get along in extremely varied habitat. They thrive everywhere, from the semi-arid regions of the west to the big timber land of the north. They probably prefer farmland, but are also found in parks, on wooded islands, in wooded areas on the fringes of towns and, increasingly, even in our largest cities. Generally, crows are most numerous in agricultural districts with a great variety and plentiful supply of food. One habitat necessity is an adequate number of trees for cover and nesting sites. Farm woodlots are ideal for this. Nests built and abandoned by crows sometimes provide habitat for birds that, ironically, are one of the crow’s age-old enemies: the great<span style="color: rgb(35, 31, 32)"> horned owl. There’s plenty of suitable habitat for crows across the country today. <span style="color: rgb(35, 31, 32)"> Undoubtedly, the species will be with us indefinitely — especially since more and more people have a better understanding of crows and the beneficial services they provide. o<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal"> ** cause of birds presence ** §<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal"> ** factors (Melissa) ** We thought that the **//Factors Affecting Presence of the Birds//** were Smell, Weather, Amount of People, Time, and Size of People. So we did some observations to find the factors affecting the presence of the birds. Smell After doing some research, we found out that most birds have a poor sense of smell, including sparrows and mynahs. Therefore, the smell of the food must not have contributed very much to the birds coming. Time Looking at the observations made, nothing much can be inferred except that around 1.30 to 2pm, which is the time students have their lunch, and around 3 to 3.45pm, which is the PM Sessions’ recesses, there are more birds, probably because of the people (more food dropped). They will stay for about five minutes after the last recess or break time, to pick up the food that has been dropped and has not been cleaned up yet. Weather Looking at the observations that were made, apart from the break times, the birds also come more often when it is cloudy. Amount of People Looking at the observations made, the birds come more often when there are more people in the canteen, probably because more food is being dropped. Size of People Looking at the observations made, nothing can be said as there is no distinct pattern between the size range of the people and the number of birds. Therefore, this is not a factor affecting the presence of the birds. So we decided that these are the Factors Affecting the Presence of the Birds: Time, Weather, and Amount of People. o<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal"> ** problems caused by birds (kang hui) ** §<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal"> ** Diseases ** o<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal"> The birds cause many problems, and the most major problem is the diseases caused by the birds. One of the diseases is Bird Flu, which refers to an illness caused by any of many different strains of influenza viruses that have adapted to a specific host. The viruses responsible for influenza pandemics are adapted to both humans and birds. o<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal"> Another disease, Cryptococcosis, is caused by yeast found in the intestinal tract of pigeons and starlings. The illness often begins as a pulmonary disease and may later affect the central nervous system. Since schools are typical roosting and nesting sites, the fungus is usually found in these areas. o<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal"> Salmonellosis is another disease, which often occurs as food poisoning and can be traced to pigeons, starlings and sparrows. The disease bacteria are found in bird droppings. The dust from droppings can be sucked through ventilators and air conditioners, contaminating food and cooking surfaces in restaurants, homes and food processing plants. §<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal"> ** Noise ** o<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal"> The birds also make a lot of noise during roosting and in the early morning. §<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal"> ** Hygiene ** o<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal">  Another problem is hygiene. The bird droppings deface places and the birds transmit bacteria, which leads to food poisoning. The birds are hosts to flies, lice and fleas, which might lead to allergy. o<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal"> Currently, there is no cure for Bird Flu. Experts hope that Tamiflu, a prescription drug designed to fight the common flu, will also help people suffering from the bird flu. Tamiflu has proven very effective against flu strain, but it does not work nearly as well when up against the bird flu. o<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal"> ** What has been done (heidi) ** Positive and Negative Aspects o<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal"> Before Mrs. Celine Ng came, there were multi-coloured discs hanging from the ceiling, and to birds, these are inviting, causing them to keep coming to the canteen. Also, the discs provide a space for them to build their nests, and when nobody bothers them for a while, they get more daring and tend to make there their permanent home, making it harder to get rid of them. And, crows have a good memory, and if we make them unhappy, the may think of a way to get “revenge”, making more problems. Thus, Mrs. Celine Ng removed these multi-coloured discs. o<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal"> o<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal"> The school also has a scarecrow-I think that it is a scarecrow-hung up at the bins where students dispose their utensils, so as to scare the birds away as those are the areas where the birds will most likely come as there are lots of food there. This has worked on most sparrows. But the problem is that the main problem does not come from the sparrows but the crows, being daring, are not really that affected by the scarecrow, therefore, some of the efforts are not effective. o<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal"> The school has also tried to help by having covers on all bins to prevent the birds from coming to eat the remnants and the birds may also spread diseases due to their unhygienic living conditions. Before 2006, the previous principal did not have covers on bins, allowing the birds to eat the remnants, thus inviting more and more birds, increasing the number of problems, because of that, the bird population had increased. Therefore, the principal had tried to tackle this problem by covering up the bins so that the birds will stop coming in the hopes of getting food. But, despite having covered bins, some students either leave their remains on the table-attracting the birds-or do not cover the bins after putting their utensils in. These are some of the irresponsible ways caused by the students that attract the birds. o<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal"> There are also more teachers patrolling the canteen for two purposes. o<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal"> To try and chase the birds away. o<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal"> To make sure that students put their utensils in the correct place. o<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal"> The presence of humans usually has an impact on birds, making them scared. Thus, with more people around, fewer birds will come. The negative aspect of this is, that, the school can’t have teachers patrolling the canteen for the whole of the schooling time. o<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal"> ** what people think (jina) ** ·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal"> ** survey results and interview results + positive points(jina) ** Now, we can see that there are a lot of negative comments to the birds. But, here is one positive, taken from: <span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial">[|http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/7325311.stm</span]> This man finds it unfair to the birds as we are stealing their eggs. Other reasons which people may give for siding the birds may be we are the ones destroying their habitat, destroying them. Here are some other good points: Based on the background information, there are people who are on the birds’ side. This is good in an aspect as they will not be that negatively affected when the birds forage for food. Then, all the more it will the better for them. An example of people liking birds is this: at a void deck near my flat, people bring their birds there in the morning and listen to the chirping all morning. This as well: Some people feel strongly against the birds, putting them on their guard. Thus they have a less chance of being negatively affected by the birds. They are more protective and will not let the birds affect them so easily.
 * ** Challenges **
 * ** Reasons we cannot get rid of birds **
 * ** Birds have a useful purpose – can’t just get rid of the birds by killing them off **
 * ** Prevent them from coming to places where they can cause harm – canteen **
 * ** No places for the birds to go to **
 * ** Some attempts have not been effective **
 * ** Scarecrow not working **
 * ** Teachers cannot always be present **
 * ** Even though cleaners clean the canteen immediately after each recess, within the short time frame that the food is around, the birds come **
 * ** Pupils leave food around (e.g. food that has dropped on the floor, onto table) and this attracts the birds, **
 * ** Sometimes pupils don’t clear their plates **
 * ** Pupils are not aware of what causes the birds to come and the dangers these birds pose **
 * ** Leave food while they buy something else – birds eat and contaminate the food **
 * ** Pupils do not take responsibility – blame the cleaners: **
 * <span style="background: yellow none repeat scroll 0% 0%; font-size: 10pt; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; font-family: Arial">"if the cleaners were swifter such could be avoided" this is a quote from one of the students. Now, the students are even blaming the cleaners for the birds' prescence. is such reasonable? besides, it is their own fault for leaving food around. shouldn't they think: if they were the cleaners, would they be able to rush immediately to clean whenever there is a bit of food dropped? furthermore, they should not be blaming anybody for the problems caused by the birds.
 * ** Canteen open-air – easy access for birds **
 * ** Birds sometimes are not frightened of people **
 * ** Birds dirty the place with their droppings and the germs they bring **
 * <span style="background: yellow none repeat scroll 0% 0%; font-size: 10pt; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; font-family: Arial">we have seen that most people have seen the birds at work; stealing food and such. Some have even become victims. this is a problem as if more people become victims, more people will be affected by the birds.
 * **<span style="background: yellow none repeat scroll 0% 0%; font-size: 10pt; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; font-family: Arial">57.1% **<span style="background: yellow none repeat scroll 0% 0%; font-size: 10pt; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; font-family: Arial"> of the students who responded have been affected by the birds. There were things mentioned like the birds are disruptive, unhygenic, there is feces all over the place, they must be stopped.they have also seen others affected. this is a bad sign for the same reason as the above.
 * ** Underlying Problem **
 * ** Underlying Problem **
 * THE END **
 * _ **
 * Extra Information – Use only what is needed **
 * Wed, 30th April 2008 || Time || Number of Mynas || Number of Sparrows || Weather || Number of People || Size Range of People || Smell ||
 * || 1.15pm || 0 || 2 || Cloudy || NIL || NIL || Urine ||
 * || 1.30pm || 0 || 2 || Cloudy || NIL || NIL || NIL ||
 * || 1.45pm || 0 || 3 || Cloudy || NIL || NIL || NIL ||
 * || 2.00pm || 3 || 0 || Sunny || NIL || NIL || ||
 * || 2.15pm || 3 || 2 || Sunny || NIL || NIL || Chee Cheong Fun ||
 * || 2.30pm || 0 || 1 || Sunny || NIL || NIL || Peanut Butter ||
 * || 2.45pm || 0 || 0 || Sunny || NIL || NIL || Chee Cheong Fun ||
 * || 3.00pm || 0 || 3 || Sunny || NIL || NIL || Chee Cheong Fun ||
 * || 3.15pm || 0 || 1 || Sunny || NIL || NIL || NIL ||
 * || 3.30pm || 0 || 0 || Sunny || NIL || NIL || NIL ||
 * || 3.45pm || 0 || 0 || Sunny || NIL || NIL || NIL ||
 * || 4.00pm || 3 || 3 || Sunny || NIL || NIL || NIL ||
 * || 4.15pm || 3 || 0 || Sunny || NIL || NIL || NIL ||
 * Wed, 7th May 2008 || Time || Number of Mynahs || Number of Sparrows || Weather || Number of People || Size Range of People || Smell ||
 * || 1.00pm || 8 || 0 || Sunny with Grey Clouds || 16 || NIL || Pizza + Bijou’s Noodles ||
 * || 1.15pm || 2 || 3 || Grey Clouds || 16 || NIL || Polar snacks ||
 * || 1.30pm || 4 || 3 || Sunny || 9 || NIL || ||
 * || 1.45pm || 3 || 5 || Sunny || 14 || NIL || ||
 * || 2.00pm || 0 || 0 || Breezy || 23 || NIL || Teachers’ Perfume ||
 * || 2.15pm || 0 || 2 || Sunny yet cloudy || 29 || || ||
 * || 2.30pm || 0 || 0 || Sunny || 12 || NIL || Teachers’ Perfume ||
 * || 2.45pm || 2 || 0 || Sunny || 50+ || NIL || ||
 * || 3.00pm || 0 || 0 || Bright/Hot || 200+ || NIL || ||
 * || 3.15pm || 7 || 7 || Sunny || 300+ || NIL || ||
 * || 3.30pm || 10 || 10 || Sunny || 300+ || NIL || Variety of Food ||
 * || 3.45pm || 7 || 11 || Cool || 150+ || NIL || ||
 * || 4.00pm || 11 || 7 || Breezy || 16 || NIL || ||
 * || 4.15pm || 2 || 3 || Breezy || 2 || NIL || ||
 * Day || Time || Number of Mynahs || Number of Sparrows || Weather || Number of People || Size Range of People (m) || Smell ||
 * Thu, 8th April 2008 || 1.15pm || 0 || 1 || Sunny & Windy || 24 || 1.4-1.65 || NIL ||
 * || 1.30pm || 2 || 2 || Sunny & Windy || 11 || 1.4-1.7 || NIL ||
 * || 1.45pm || 0 || 0 || Windy || 15 || 1.5-1.7 || Veggies ||
 * || 2.00pm || || 1 || Windy & a tiny bit Cloudy || 13 || 1.45-1.7 || Fresh Lettuce ||
 * || 2.15pm || 0 || 0 || Sunny and a bit Cloudy || 9 || 1.4-1.65 || NIL ||
 * || 2.30pm || 1 || 7 || A bit Windy, a bit sunny, & a teensy bit Cloudy || 4 || 1.45-1.6 || NIL ||
 * || 2.45pm || 2 || 6 || Sunny || 4 || 1.4-1.5 || NIL ||
 * || 3.00pm || 2 || 2 || Sunny but a bit Cloudy || 398+- || 1.1-1.6 || Maggi Mee ||
 * || 3.15pm || 5 || 7 || Cloudy || 72+- || 1.1-1.6 || Variety of Food ||
 * || 3.30pm || 1 || 1 || Windy & a bit Cloudy || 171+- || 1.1-1.6 || Variety of Food ||
 * || 3.45pm || 7 || 9 || Windy & a bit sunny || 5 || 1.3-1.6 || Sauce ||
 * || 4.00pm || 10 || 10 || Windy & Cloudy || 1 || 1.5 || NIL ||
 * || 4.15pm || 5 || 4 || Windy & Cloudy || 3 || 1.5-1.6 || Sauce ||
 * || 4.30pm || 10 || 1 || Cloudy || 1 || 1.5 || Dirty Water? ||
 * Day || Time || Number of Mynahs || Number of Sparrows || Weather || Number of People || Size Range of people || Smell ||
 * Tue. 13th May 2008 || 1.30pm || 0 || 3 || Very Breezy (Prob. Due to the Fan) || 23 || 1.2-1.7 || Steamed Eggs ||
 * || 1.45pm || 0 || 2 || Hot || 16 || 1.3-1.8 || NIL ||
 * || 2.00pm || 1 || 16 || Hot || 11 || 1.4-1.8 || NIL ||
 * || 2.15pm || 1 || 7 || Hot || 8 || 1.4-1.7 || NIL ||
 * || 2.30pm || 0 || 0 || Cool || 10 || 1.3-1.7 || NIL ||
 * || 2.45pm || 1 || 5 || Cloudy || 16 || 1.4-1.7 || NIL ||
 * || 3.00pm || 0 || 0 || Cool || 300+ || 1.1-1.7 || Variety of Food ||
 * || 3.15pm || 0 || 2 || Cool || 50+ || 1.2-1.6 || NIL ||
 * || 3.30pm || 0 || 0 || Hot || 300+ || 1.1-1.6 || Variety of Food ||
 * || 3.45pm || 2 || 3 || Breezy || 57 || 1.1-1.6 || Variety of Food ||
 * || 4.00pm || 5 || 0 || Cool || 8 || 1.3-1.6 || NIL ||
 * || 4.15pm || 0 || 2 || Cool || 3 || 1.4-1.6 || Soapy Water ||
 * || 4.30pm || 0 || 0 || Cool || 1 || 1.4-1.6 || NIL ||
 * 1) From a number of interviews, we have seen that most people have seen the birds at work. Some have even become victims. We have also seen that most of them try shooing the birds away, but some just don’t notice the birds or don’t bother.
 * 2) Through a survey, we have seen that : ** 57.1% ** of the students who responded have been affected by the birds. Some of them mentioned things like: they are unhygienic and must be stopped, they eat my food, they poop all over the place, there is disruption and they have seen others affected. These are the main ideas of how they have been affected. Now, surprisingly, only 19% said that they have seen others food being eaten. Perhaps the rest just experienced it themselves.
 * 3) The pupils taking the survey were asked to give their opinion on the topic. Responses were mainly like so: Something should be done, if the table has no one let the birds eat, we as humans have invaded their territory and we should not smash or kill them, if the cleaners were swifter then such could be averted and besides, the MSG and whatnot in our food harm the birds. Others put down things like how dirty the birds are and some possible solutions.
 * 4) 47.6% of them also said that they have noticed when the birds come most frequently. They gave answers such as when there is food around, between the recesses, when there is food but no people around, when there is a big crowd of people buying food, the birds will be more alert for unguarded food. All these are possible reasons that will need research to say if they are true.
 * challenges
 * Negative Aspects(Jina)
 * 1) Some people think badly of the birds, making them the most irritated group when they get affected. This is not good for them as their hate for the birds will increase and bring greater problems to them.
 * 2) Around my neighbourhood, people have taken to hiring pest control as they find the birds noisy in the morning and they do not like the bird shit on their cars. This does not really minimize the number of birds there and it is disruptive as they do things like shoot down crows and that is very loud.
 * 3) A group of people feel that birds should be allowed to forage whenever they want-from Google search “people’s perspective of birds”, goodfeather.com-this is not good as they will let their guard down and be more likely to be affected.
 * underlying problem

Errm, do we hav to put in positive aspects and negative aspects too? cos i hav them in report form and i'll jus put it in at the bottom so jus delete4 if not needed.~Jina

<span style="background-color: rgb(215, 4, 4)">
<span style="background-color: rgb(215, 4, 4)"> =<span style="background-color: rgb(215, 4, 4)">IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT =

When we meet tomorrow, **please bring along everything you have on CMPS**__ since we began meeting. We may need certain documentation to accompany your report and I will be able to advise you on what is best to include tomorrow.
 * You need clear evidence that (a) pupils are not aware of the problems caused by birds and (b) do not see it as their responsibility to do their part. So bring along all survey results, etc.
 * Regarding the draft of your report which is due tomorrow, please ensure you do the following:
 * divide your work as equally as possible so that everyone does a fair share
 * if you do not meet the target number of words or exceed it slightly, don't worry. That can be rectified tomorrow.
 * you should include some evidence. However, don't add in too much additional information that is not in your draft 3 plans (AOC and Challenges) as it could be distracting.

Finally, I know that when it really counts the 6 of you can be totally counted on to accomplish whatever is necessary. So, I have complete faith in you accomplishing your task - the finished draft of the 1000 word report by tomorrow's leeting. Mrs J

23 July 2008
=**2nd Draft of AOC**=

This is draft 2 of AOC for reference

Make changes on draft 3 of AOC - download, change and save.

This is Draft 2 of Challenges.

Make changes on draft 3 of Challenges - download, change and save.

Bijou's suggestion: each one edits in a different colour. Bijou: purple; Natalie: blue; Heidi: pink; Kang Hui: red

11 July 2008
=Draft of AOC, challenges highlighted=



=Challenges=


 * Rewrite the challenges here. Please add to the list below:**

<span style="background: yellow none repeat scroll 0% 0%; font-size: 10pt; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; font-family: Arial">finds it unfair to the birds as we are stealing their eggs. Other reasons which people may give for siding the birds may be we are the ones destroying their habitat, destroying them. here is another one. this man is on the birds' side. it is true. we are destroying the birds' habitats. the main problem here is: what will their reactio be if we do something to the birds? if something is done to help one side but displeases the other, then all the more we shouln\dn't do it.
 * 1) Crows and mynahs are the more daring of the birds that come. They sometimes even take the food from the table even if someone is watching the food or just standing nearby.
 * 2) They foul structures with their droppings, particularly those areas used for roosting and loafing sites.
 * 3) <span style="background: rgb(243, 241, 241) none repeat scroll 0% 50%; font-size: 10pt; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; font-family: Arial">The school also has a scarecrow hung up at the bins where students dispose their utensils, so as to scare the birds away as those are the areas where the birds will most likely come as there are lots of food there. This has worked on most sparrows. But the problem is that the main problem does not come from the sparrows but the crows, being daring, are not really that affected by the scarecrow, therefore, some of the efforts are not effective.
 * 4) <span style="background: rgb(243, 241, 241) none repeat scroll 0% 50%; font-size: 10pt; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; font-family: Arial"> Sparrows can dirty the public with their droppings, particularly those areas used for roosting and loafing sites. Sparrows also enter food plants, warehouses, department stores and malls where they often contaminate food products or other merchandise. Their droppings can contain a variety of disease causing bacteria, fungi, nematodes, etc.<span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'">
 * 5) <span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'"> As immigrants are coming to Singapore to live, the government has to tear down bird habitat, even though there is not much of and use the space to build home for us humans. then, because we have took the bird's habitat, they will have to adapt to our living conditions and live with us, and we find them a nuisance, so some might call for the pest control to exterminate the birds.
 * 6) Some people side with the birds.
 * 7) The birds cause many diseases, most major is Bird Flu, a cure has not been found yet.
 * 8) <span style="background: yellow none repeat scroll 0% 0%; font-size: 10pt; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; font-family: Arial">we have seen that most people have seen the birds at work; stealing food and such. Some have even become victims. this is a problem as if more people become victims, more people will be affected by the birds.
 * 9) <span style="background: yellow none repeat scroll 0% 0%; font-size: 10pt; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; font-family: Arial"><span style="background: yellow none repeat scroll 0% 0%; font-size: 10pt; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; font-family: Arial">**57.1%** <span style="background: yellow none repeat scroll 0% 0%; font-size: 10pt; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; font-family: Arial"> of the students who responded have been affected by the birds. There were things mentioned like the birds are disruptive, unhygenic, there is feces all over the place, they must be stopped.they have also seen others affected. this is a bad sign for the same reason as the above.
 * 10) <span style="background: yellow none repeat scroll 0% 0%; font-size: 10pt; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; font-family: Arial"><span style="background: yellow none repeat scroll 0% 0%; font-size: 10pt; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; font-family: Arial">"if the cleaners were swifter such could be avoided" this is a quote from one of the students. Now, the students are even blaming the cleaners for the birds' prescence. is such reasonable? besides, it is their own fault for leaving food around. shouldn't they think: if they were the cleaners, would they be able to rush immediately to clean whenever there is a bit of food dropped? furthermore, they should not be blaming anybody for the problems caused by the birds.
 * 11) <span style="background: yellow none repeat scroll 0% 0%; font-size: 10pt; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; font-family: Arial"><span style="background: yellow none repeat scroll 0% 0%; font-size: 10pt; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; font-family: Arial">

<span style="background: yellow none repeat scroll 0% 0%; font-size: 10pt; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; font-family: Arial"><span style="background: yellow none repeat scroll 0% 0%; font-size: 10pt; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; font-family: Arial"> <span style="background: yellow none repeat scroll 0% 0%; font-size: 10pt; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; font-family: Arial"><span style="background: yellow none repeat scroll 0% 0%; font-size: 10pt; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; font-family: Arial"> >  <span style="background: yellow none repeat scroll 0% 0%; font-size: 10pt; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; font-family: Arial"><span style="background: yellow none repeat scroll 0% 0%; font-size: 10pt; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; font-family: Arial">
 * 1) <span style="background: yellow none repeat scroll 0% 0%; font-size: 10pt; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; font-family: Arial">Some people think badly of the birds, making them the most irritated group when they get affected. This is not good for them as their hate for the birds will increase and bring greater problems to them.
 * 2) <span style="background: yellow none repeat scroll 0% 0%; font-size: 10pt; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; font-family: Arial"><span style="background: yellow none repeat scroll 0% 0%; font-size: 10pt; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; font-family: Arial">Around my neighbourhood, people have taken to hiring pest control as they find the birds noisy in the morning and they do not like the bird shit on their cars. This does not really minimize the number of birds there and it is disruptive as they do things like shoot down crows and that is very loud.
 * 1) <span style="background: yellow none repeat scroll 0% 0%; font-size: 10pt; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; font-family: Arial">A group of people feel that birds should be allowed to forage whenever they want-from Google search “people’s perspective of birds”, goodfeather.com-this is not good as they will let their guard down and be more likely to be affected. <span style="background: yellow none repeat scroll 0% 0%; font-size: 10pt; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; font-family: Arial"><span style="background: yellow none repeat scroll 0% 0%; font-size: 10pt; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; font-family: Arial">

2 July 2008
=Report plan:=

AREA OF CONCERN: BIRDS IN THE CANTEEN
Now, we can see that there are a lot of negative comments to the birds. But, here is one positive, taken from: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/7325311.stm This man finds it unfair to the birds as we are stealing their eggs. Other reasons which people may give for siding the birds may be we are the ones destroying their habitat, destroying them.
 * background information of the school:
 * location of school
 * background info of the problem
 * types of birds (natalie)
 * about the birds
 * habits (bijou)
 * natural habitat (bijou)
 * cause of birds presence
 * factors (melissa)
 * noise
 * size of people
 * number of food
 * time
 * weather
 * smell of food
 * problems caused by birds (kang hui)
 * Diseases
 * Noise
 * Hygiene
 * What has been done (heidi)
 * what people think (jina)
 * Observations (mel)
 * survey results and interview results(jina)
 * 1) From a number of interviews, we have seen that most people have seen the birds at work. Some have even become victims. We have also seen that most of them try shooing the birds away, but some just don’t notice the birds or don’t bother.
 * 2) Through a survey, we have seen that : **57.1%** of the students who responded have been affected by the birds. Some of them mentioned things like: they are unhygienic and must be stopped, they eat my food, they poop all over the place, there is disruption and they have seen others affected. These are the main ideas of how they have been affected. Now, surprisingly, only 19% said that they have seen others food being eaten. Perhaps the rest just experienced it themselves.
 * 3) The pupils taking the survey were asked to give their opinion on the topic. Responses were mainly like so: Something should be done, if the table has no one let the birds eat, we as humans have invaded their territory and we should not smash or kill them, if the cleaners were swifter then such could be averted and besides, the MSG and whatnot in our food harm the birds. Others put down things like how dirty the birds are and some possible solutions.
 * 4) 47.6% of them also said that they have noticed when the birds come most frequently. They gave answers such as when there is food around, between the recesses, when there is food but no people around, when there is a big crowd of people buying food, the birds will be more alert for unguarded food. All these are possible reasons that will need research to say if they are true.
 * Positive aspects(Jina)
 * 1) Based on the background information, there are people who are on the birds’ side. This is good in an aspect as they will not be that negatively affected when the birds forage for food. Then, all the more it will the better for them. An example of people liking birds is this: at a void deck near my flat, people bring their birds there in the morning and listen to the chirping all morning. The bad thing is that it may be noisy to some others.
 * 2) Some people feel strongly against the birds, putting them on their guard. Thus they have a less chance of being negatively affected by the birds. They are more protective and will not let the birds affect them so easily. The bad thing? It will be hard for them to be so protective all the time.
 * Negative Aspects(Jina)
 * 1) Some people think badly of the birds, making them the most irritated group when they get affected. This is not good for them as their hate for the birds will increase and bring greater problems to them.
 * 2) Around my neighbourhood, people have taken to hiring pest control as they find the birds noisy in the morning and they do not like the bird shit on their cars. This does not really minimize the number of birds there and it is disruptive as they do things like shoot down crows and that is very loud.
 * 3) A group of people feel that birds should be allowed to forage whenever they want-from Google search “people’s perspective of birds”, goodfeather.com-this is not good as they will let their guard down and be more likely to be affected.
 * challenges
 * underlying problem
 * challenges
 * underlying problem
 * underlying problem

Sample of Draft structure

The above is my report in but only mel and bijou came online and what happened to the rest of you?~Jina

sorry, my dad took the com to work n i've got 'grounded' (from the com) till 8. ~nat