Featured Article English – Page 245 – Consumers Association Penang

CAP calls on National Biosafety Board not to approve genetically modified products of J101 Alfalfa and MON 15985 cotton

Admin December 23, 2020 0 Comments

CAP wrote to the Director-General of the Department of Biosafety in the Ministry of Environment and Water, Malaysia to comment on the application for approval for release of genetically modified products of J101 Alfalfa (Medicago sativa). We also commented on the application for approval for release of genetically modified products of MON 15985 cotton (Gossypium hersitum). We recommended...

How Antibiotics make you FAT

Admin December 21, 2020 0 Comments

OBESITY and weight gain may be a side effect of excessive antibiotic treatment in humans and persistent use of antibiotics in livestock. Some scientists now believe that antibiotics might be fuelling the obesity epidemic by messing with our intestinal bacteria. Modern research indicates that obesity is tied to the composition of our intestinal bacteria and new theories are linking antibiotics to...

Deeper thoughts should be given to Penang catamarans

Admin December 18, 2020 0 Comments

The Consumers Association of Penang (CAP) considers the RM64 million spent on the purchase of new ferries and upgrading of the ferry terminals as being wasteful as the existing fleet of ferries could be maintained at a lower cost. Before the introduction of the catamaran ‘water buses’, there should have been a public inquiry to find out how and why the ferries failed. The causes should be...

Life On An Assembly Line

Admin December 18, 2020 0 Comments

"It's crazy to work so fast all year round to make so many useless things. But I guess as long as the americanos want cheap TVs then there will always be maquilas. But you know at the same time we are exhausting Mexico's resources, especially its workers. We are wasting human lives. I say: this is too high a price to pay for a job, food, and shelter.' - Woman working in an RCA assembly plant in...

The Many Forms Of Products

Admin December 16, 2020 0 Comments

Victor Papanek, one of the most eminent designers and author of the revolutionary book, "Design for the real world", describes the many forms of products that we get, based on what product designers are told to design (in "The Green Imperative"). • When we become the hired guns of greed-driven corporations, we are driven to CONFORM. • If we generate status kitsch for a jaded elite, and allow...

Is Climate-Related Financial Regulation Coming Under Biden? Wall Street Is Betting on It

Admin December 16, 2020 0 Comments

(In early Nov 2020) "... the U.S. Federal Reserve said for the first time that failing to address climate change would put the nation's finances at risk and its economy at a global disadvantage. Even without federal guidance, several major U.S. companies and banks, including JPMorgan, Wells Fargo and Citigroup, have already pledged to disclose how their finances are affecting climate change....

Stop Water Drips and Save

Admin December 15, 2020 0 Comments

One leaky tap dripping at one drop per second can waste 3,000 gallons of water per year! It could be much more if you have other leaky faucets at your shower or toilets. A slower shower leak at 10 drips per minute wastes another 500 gallons per year. In the US, it is estimated that 10% of homes have leaks that waste 90 gallons or more per day. Do you have a leaky home? How to check if you taps...

CAP Submits Memorandum Calling for Regulation on Lead in Paint

Admin December 14, 2020 0 Comments

The Consumers’ Association of Penang (CAP) submitted a memorandum dated 8 December 2020 to the Malaysian government calling for promulgation and enforcement of lead paint law. It is widely known that lead has toxic effects on almost all body systems and is especially harmful to children and pregnant women. There is no safe level of lead exposure and hence it is vital to take steps to...

Need for more caution and transparency over Pfizer vaccine purchase

Admin December 11, 2020 0 Comments

The Consumers Association of Penang (CAP) calls on the federal government to exercise greater caution and transparency in proceeding with its purchase of the Pfizer vaccine in an effort to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic, as there is a need to ensure that Malaysians are given safe and effective vaccines. We refer to the agreement which the government has signed with Pfizer for the supply of...

Message on the launching of CAP’s upgraded virtual platform