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The reticulated pythons are the world’s longest snakes.
Adult male reticulated pythons can grow up to 10 metres long and can weigh more than 180kg.  They live in the woods and rain forests of Southeast Asia and are good swimmers. The skin of a reticulated python is mostly grey or light brown.
Reticulated pythons hunt for food at night and wait quietly in trees for their prey to come by. They will flick their tongues in and out when sensing an animal is near. They will then sneaks quietly behind and bite them with its sharp and curved teeth. Following that, the python wraps itself around the animal and squeeze it hard until the animal can’t breathe and dies.
According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the longest snake ever kept in captivity is a reticulated python which measured 7.3 metres.
Other long snakes are the green anaconda which measures up to 9 metres long and the African rock python which is 7.6 metres long.

Sources:

www.guinessworldrecords.com (Last Accessed: 29th July 2011)

www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/vertebrates/snakes/reticulatus.htm (Last Accessed: 29th July 2011)

For more information, check out these books!

All Rights Reserved, Fitzroy, Vic, Black Dog Books, 2010
Title: The Snake Book: Slip Sliding Away by Damian Goodall
Publisher: Fitzroy, Vic, Black Dog Books, 2010
Call No: J 597.96 GOO

All Rights Reserved, Bearport Pub, c2010
Title: Reticulated pythons: The world’s longest snake by Merish Goldish
Publisher: New York, Bearport Pub,  c2001
Call No: JP 597.96 GOL

Posted by Aslin Harminah, Children’s Librarian

The causes of gas in the digestive tract come mainly from two sources, namely, swallowed air and the normal breakdown of certain undigested foods by harmless bacteria naturally present in the large intestine.
The body does not digest and absorb some foods in the small intestine due to the shortage or absence of certain enzymes that aid digestion. These undigested portions then pass through the large intestine where the bacteria will breakdown the foods and produce gas. However, foods that produce gas in one person may not cause gas in another.
Foods that contain carbohydrates can cause gas whereas fats and proteins cause little gas. Fruits and vegetables which are less likely to cause gas include vegetables such as lettuce, tomatoes, zucchini, okra and fruits such as cantaloupe, berries, cherries, avocado and olives.
However, according to the January issue of Mayo Clinic Health Letter, some fruits and vegetables are also likely to cause gas, rather than relieve it. Bloatedness can be caused by fruits which are high in fruit sugar, such as prunes, raisins, bananas, apples and apricots as well, which means, eating fruits does not necessarily relieve bloatedness.
Temporarily avoiding certain foods can help identify causes of gassiness . In order to reduce gas, health professionals may advise people to eat fewer foods that cause gas. This could mean cutting out healthy foods such as fruits and vegetables, whole grains and milk products.
Originally answered by Fa’izah Ahmad, Librarian
References:-
1. Gas in the digestive tract. Retrieved from http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/gas/
2. IBS treatment options. – Retrieved from http://www.aboutibs.org/site/about-ibs/management/
controlling-gas
3. Ways to reduce gassiness. Retrieved from http://www.mayoclinic.org/news2008-mchi/4402.html

Posted by Judy Kong, Associate Librarian

30 July marked an occasion both historic and nostalgic. The handover of the station marks a major milestone in Singapore’s relationship with Malaysia. The resolution of a 20-year-old bone of contention paves the way for the two countries to work more closely together on other areas of bilateral cooperation in the future. To many of the thousands who turned up to bid the station a sentimental farewell, however, it was simply an occasion to relive fond memories of train journeys gone by.

This post is dedicated to the closure of the Tanjong Pagar Railway Station, and the end of an era in rail travel in Singapore. Read on to find out more

History

The station was built by French construction firm Brossard and Mopin Ltd between 1929 and 1932. It was officially opened by Governer Sir Cecil Clementi on 2 May 1932, and has played a key role in moving people and goods between Singapore and the Malay Peninsula.

The station was part of the Singapore Railway, whichis the southernmost segment in the West Coast Line of what first began as the Malayan Railway. The original line was 23 km long and stretched across Oxley, Orchard and Monk’s Hill roads, past Newton Cirtus and on to Bukit Timah and Woodlands.

Architectural features

The three-storey station was designed by DS Petrovitch of the architectural firm Swan and MacLaren. The Serbian architect’s design is said to be inspired by the Helsinki Station in Finland.

The station’s most striking features are the high arches that mark its entrance, which feature green roof-tiles influenced by Chinese temple architecture. Standing proudly in he spaces between the arches are four towering statues named Agriculture, Commerce, Transport and Industry – a homage to the sectors of Malay’s colonial economy. Above the statues are four crests that bear the initials of the Federated Malay States Railway.

Neighbourly Disagreements

In 1819, the British colonial government handed the ownership of some 200ha of railway land in Singapore, including the Tanjong Pagar Railway Station, to the Federated Malay States Railway (FMSR) on a 999-year leasehold term. After Malaysia’s independence, ownership was in turn taken over by FMSR’s successor company KTM Berhad. As part of the separation agreement that Singapore signed with Malaysia in 1965, KTM Berhad was allowed to retain control over railway land located in Singapore, meaning that the Tanjong Pagar Railway Station was considered part of Malaysian sovereign territory. This created a somewhat strange situation for travelers, who were required to clear Malaysian customs even when they boarded the train in Singapore.

To resolve the issue of railway land ownership, former Singapore Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew and former Malaysian Finance Minister Daim Zainuddin signed a bilateral agreement in 1990, in which Malaysia agreed to vacate the Tanjong Pagar Railway Station in return for three parcels of land in Singapore. However, implementation was delayed due to differences in the interpretation of some of the agreement’s clauses.

The Handover

After a 20 year detour, Singapore and Malaysia capped a historic day in relations on 30 June 2011 when they sealed their agreement on this long outstanding bilateral issue. At the stroke of midnight on 1 July, Singapore resumed ownership of all Malayan railway land south of Woodlands. This includes plots of land in Tanjong Pagar, Kranji, Woodlands and Bukit Timah, and another 26km of land along railway tracks.

In exchange, 6 parcels of land in prime downtown areas were offered for joint development by the investment arms of the respective governments. This is positive outcome is a win-win for both parties, and, in the words of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, a “historical breakthrough in bilateral relations”

What happens now?

Railway operations at the Tanjong Pagar Railway Station will permanently cease from 1 July 2011. All train journeys across the causeway will start and end at the Woodlands Train Checkpoint.

The main building of the railway station has been gazetted as a national monument by the Public Monuments Board. It will be conserved and may be integrated with future developments on the site.

References

Straits Times Friday 1 July

www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1058645/1/.html

infopedia.nl.sg/articles/SIP_954_2005-01-10.html

infopedia.nl.sg/articles/SIP_953_2005-01-25.html

(Infopedia is my favourite quick stop for all Singapore related info…try it here)

Title: Heritage places of Singapore
Author: Wan Meng Hao and Jacqueline Lau
Call No.: SING959.57 WAN

Pluto has been “demoted” to the status of a dwarf planet as it does not meet the following criteria for being a planet: – it must be in orbit around the Sun – its orbit must be large enough that it takes on a nearly round shape – however, Pluto’s orbit around the sun is elliptical) – it has cleared its orbit of other objects. However, Pluto resides in an area of space populated by other celestial objects) Sources: Http://nasm.si.edu. National Air and Space Museum

Please refer to the posting entitled,”What Is A Planet?” www.nasm.si.edu/research/ceps/etp/pluto/pluto_planet.html (Last accessed on 2nd July 2011)

Books Recommendation on Pluto:

Title: Pluto : a dwarf planet

Author: Vogt, Gregory.

Publisher: Minneapolis, Minn. : Lerner Publications, c2010.

Call number: J 523.49 VOG

Title: When is a planet not a planet? : the story of Pluto

Author: Scott, Elaine, 1940-

Publisher: New York, N.Y. : Clarion Books, c2007.

Call number: J 523.48 SCO

Title: The dwarf planet Pluto Author: Lew, Kristi.

Publisher: Tarrytown, N.Y. : Marshall Cavendish Benchmark, c2010 Call number: J 523.49 LEW

Posted by Kweh Soon Huat, Librarian, Adults and Young People’s Services