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Month: May 2011

Month: May 2011

Baking soda: a safe multipurpose cleaner

admin May 5, 2011 0 Comments
Many of us spend too much money and too much time on household cleaning. Is it really necessary to have one product for the kitchen tiles and another for the bath? Baking soda is a readily available household product. It is also called Sodium Bicarbonate or Bicarbonate of Soda. It is a cheap yet very effective tool in your home for combating odours, cleaning and sanitising. There are many...
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Bicycle safety tips

admin May 5, 2011 0 Comments
Join the league of the environment-conscious, and save your petrol money, by using pedal power (i.e. bicycle) instead of a four-wheeler. But don't forget to take precautions before you start your journey. First of all, make sure your bicycle is structurally sound and in good condition. Are the brakes working properly? Check too that the reflectors are clean and are not warped, and adequately...
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Eating well with less money

admin May 4, 2011 0 Comments
Can we get well with less money?  It's not only possible. It is true that good food is cheaper because processed foods can be very expensive. Natural and fresh foods are also more nutritious. They also have no food additives which are added not for eating, but for longer shelf-life; replace lost colours and flavours; and other needs of the food industry. You can get more vitamins,...
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Call for true enforcement to reduce smoking

admin May 3, 2011 0 Comments
Smoking is bad for health, pure and simple. And yet measures taken to address the smoking pandemic in Malaysia seems conflicted – on one hand is the cost in human and health terms, while on the other side stifling government efforts are the apparent negative effect on tobacco farmers and poverty alleviation. The latter argument is flawed. The smoking statistics in Malaysia is quite alarming;...
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GM mosquito release in Malaysia surprises opponents and scientists—again

admin May 3, 2011 0 Comments
Even scientists were surprised by the release of GM mosquitoes in Malaysia, reports sciencemag.org of The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)*. Medical entomologist Bart Knols of the University of Amsterdam worries that surprises such as the releases in Grand Cayman and Malaysia may erode public trust and provide anti-GM groups with ammunition. Helen Wallace of the...
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mosquitoes

10 things you should know about GM mosquitoes

admin May 3, 2011 0 Comments
The National Biosafety Board (NBB) has recently approved an application from the Institute for Medical Research (IMR) to release genetically modified (GM) male Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. IMR wants to conduct field experiments in Bentong and Alor Gajah to see how far the males fly and how long they live for. The aim of this GM technology is for the GM male mosquitoes to mate with wild female...
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Co-ops heading for trouble again?

admin May 3, 2011 0 Comments
5.9 Million Members and RM38 Billion Assets in Malaysian Cooperatives Cooperatives have been in the country since 1922. In 2006 we had about 5,000 cooperatives with 5.9 million members and total assets of RM38.3 billion. That is a lot of assets and a lot of people involved, both of which give rise to concerns about the cooperative movement. Firstly, are the cooperatives heading for trouble again?...
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Many complaints against many co-ops

admin May 3, 2011 0 Comments
1) Koperasi Wawasan Pekerja-Pekerja Malaysia Berhad (KOWAJA) RM7,980 Deducted from Loan A member applied for a RM80,000 loan in January 2009  but only RM33,995 was deposited into his account. He was never given a copy of the loan agreement. When he said he wanted to return the  RM33,995 as it was not what he applied for, he was told that he would have to pay a fee of  RM2,000.  His  February...
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History of cooperative scandals

admin May 3, 2011 0 Comments
1) ANGKASA: Alleged Fraud at Umbrella Co-op Angkatan Koperasi Kebangsaan Malaysia (ANGKASA) commenced in 1977 as the umbrella cooperative of the country. However it has become obvious that all is not well in ANGKASA. Its former President Royal Professor Ungku Aziz voiced his disappointment that SKM’s investigation into the alleged misappropriation of funds was still not completed in January...
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24% interest rate for co-op loan

admin May 3, 2011 0 Comments
Cooperative members may find it easy to get loans but these loans can be very expensive.  For one cooperative member, the interest rate is as high as 24% per annum. The loan is expensive because the cooperative deducts “cost of loan 19% from the principal”. Members who sign up know very little about what they are getting themselves into. Not only do they sign blank forms but they also do not...
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