Category: Development EN

“If greed were not the master of modern man - ably assisted by envy - how could it be that the frenzy of economism does not abate as higher "standards of living" are attained, and that it is precisely the richest societies which pursue their economic advantage with the greatest ruthlessness? How could we explain the almost universal refusal on the part of the rulers of the rich societies -...

"Today, the notion of progress in a single line without goal or limit seems perhaps the most parochial notion of a very parochial century." －Lewis Mumford

"Humanity managed for the better part of 400,000 years without cars and did just fine. Julius Caesar, Michelangelo, William Shakespeare, Adam Smith, and Abraham Lincoln lived in cities and never drove an automobile. They didn’t need one, or thought to need one. And you wouldn’t need one either if we could arrange our lives such that you can get where you need to go without a car. What does...

Each of us carries within us a worldview, a set of assumptions about how the world works - what some call a paradigm - that forms the very questions we allow ourselves to ask, and determines our view of future possibilities. -- Frances Moore Lappé

“If, then, I were asked for the most important advice I could give, that which I considered to be the most useful to the men of our century, I should simply say: in the name of God, stop a moment, cease your work, look around you.” ― Leo Tolstoy

“In addition to conformity as a way to relieve the anxiety springing from separateness, another factor of contemporary life must be considered: the role of the work routine and the pleasure routine. Man becomes a 'nine to fiver', he is part of the labour force, or the bureaucratic force of clerks and managers. He has little initiative, his tasks are prescribed by the organisation of the work;...

The Internet is inescapable in modern life. It gives us so much convenience, so much information and facilities. And it has gotten into the deep parts of our lives and homes, in our work, our entertainment, our finance, our education, our meetings, our cars and parking, our appliances, nearly everything. Most of us cannot survive a day without being connected to this thing. BUT what are trading...

The Consumers Association of Penang (CAP) is shocked and outraged when photographs of the nearly submerged iconic ‘Pulau Pinang’ ferry appeared in social media posted by Netizens on 5 June 2021. If the news of the ferry had not appeared in social media, would the Penang Port authorities engage a contractor to pump out the water? Would there be an announcement that the ferry be turned into a...

The Consumers Association of Penang (CAP) says that it is time to reduce water wastage, not only to trim water bills but also to conserve our limited water resources. The primary reason is because Penangites have been over consuming processed water which is becoming a precious commodity. While the water catchment area is only 6 per cent of the land area of the state, the population of the state...

The Consumer’s Association of Penang (CAP) was surprised to see Lim Kok Wing University’s advertorial for their May 2021 intake in an online news portal just a few days after it was brought to light that the MQA accreditation for 8 of their programmes had been revoked. The advertorial stated that the university had 1000 scholarship to give to qualified students. Is this supposed to entice...