Saturday, October 11, 2008

Seaweed based biodiesel

I have read an article on Treehugger website regarding Italian biodiesel producers turn to seaweed as a feedstock for biodiesel. Italy’s Union of Biodiesel Producers hope to commercialize the production of seaweed-based biodiesel within five years. They plan on investing €10 million ($14 million) into the project.

The specific species of seaweed used in this project has yet to be determined, the company is working with scientists at the University of Florence to find a species which could be grown in plastic tubes of seawater and fed with carbon dioxide captured from a nearby fossil fuel power plant. I enjoyed reading this article, it raise my awareness on insufficent supply of diesel. And I hope scientists in our country will come out with something like this.

Source:http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/10/italian-union-of-biodiesel-producers-investigates-seaweed-biofuel.php

Monday, October 6, 2008

Electronic cigarettes

Have you ever heard of electronic cigarettes? Now, as what i have read on BBC news website, the sales of the electronic cigarettes has been raised in UK. The electronic cigarettes use replaceable cartridge with shots of nicotine, but have become popular because they are not covered by the smoking ban.

Some of the smokers believe that the cigarettes were healthier than normal cigarettes as they do not contain tar, tobacco or carbon monoxide. Yet, experts are worried as users inhale a fine heated mist and there is a lack of regulation. However, Jason Cropper, managing director of the Electronic Cigarette Company, has claimed that it is more healthier than the real cigarettes as they had done the experiment on mice. I do not enjoyed reading the article because it does not related to me and i think electronic cigarettes could not help in cutting down the number of smokers. Those smokers will think that electronic cigarettes is more healthier than the real cigarettes yet they forget inside the cigarettes still contain nicotine.

Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7658603.stm

Paper that Self-Erases in a day

As what i have read on the Treehugger site, Xerox has came out with a paper that self-erases within 24 hours and can then be re-used. The printing on the paper will fade gradually in 24 hours under the light is actually due to a compound on the printing that change colour when they absorb a certain wavelength of light.

The printing can also be erased faster by exposing to heat. The erasable paper produced by Xerox has not yet on sale. It is because it is still a research project. I enjoyed reading the article as it is quite a good idea to help in reducing paper used. And i do believe the erasable paper could help in reducing the number of paper in the world. However, Xerox still need to think how they should reduce the cost of production of the erasable and the ways to attract the consumers to use their product.

Source: http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/10/wired-nextfest-2008-chicago-xerox-erasable-paper.php

Caffeine limits for pregnant women

Pregnant women should drink no more than four cups of coffee a day, a government agency in United Kingdom has advised.The FSA's Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment (CoT) in UK found that drinking more than 300mg - or four average sized cups of instant coffee per day - could be linked to low birthweight and possibly miscarriage.

Hence, the pregnant women should always seek advice from their doctor or other health professionals on the appropriate diet during pregnancy. It always easy to forget that not only coffee contains caffeine, but also chocolate, tea and soft drinks. I do not enjoy reading the article as it is not related to me. Perhaps it will only related to me in the coming ten years time. Due to your baby health, reduce caffeine!

Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/1591026.stm

Sunday, October 5, 2008

Monkey work in Japanese Restaurant

I had watched a video published on the BBC news website. There is a restaurant in Japan has two macaque monkeys as its staffs. The two monkeys were named as Yatchan and Fukuchan. They served customers hot towels and drinks when they are given soya beans as tips. Those two monkeys are actually the pets belonging to the restaurant's owner. I enjoyed watching this video as i think it is a creative idea to have pets to serve in order to attract customers to the restaurant. I hope we will see orang utan serves us in a restaurant in Malaysia one day.

Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7654267.stm

Goat 'condoms' save Kenyan herds




Recently, i have read an article which is published on the BBC News website about Maasai herdsmen in Kenya have turned to an age-old contraceptive device, the "olor", to limit the goat population during the draught season. It is to ensure there are not too many animals grazing on sparse vegetation. The olor is made from cowhide or a square piece of plastic, and is tied around the belly of the male goat. It prevents them to mate with the female goats.

In the Maasai community, livestock are often people's only assets. The buck's owner will tie the olor on its belly for three months and will just remove it in November when the short rains come. I enjoyed reading the article because it is interesting and i gain new knowledge after reading it.

Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7648860.stm, written by Ruth Nesoba

Sunday, September 28, 2008

China spacecraft returns to Earth

I have read an article regarding the China's Shenzhou VII space capsule has returned to Earth after a successful mission orbiting the planet. The space capsule touched the ground of Mongolian dessert after three days launched to the space. The China's Shenzhou VII spacecraft was soared into orbit on a Long March II-F rocket from Jiuquan spaceport in north-west China on 25 September.

China is now the only third nation after the United States and Russia which had independently put a man in space when Yang Liwei, an astronaut, went into orbit on the Shenzhou V mission in October 2003. China has successful did an EVA (spacewalk) this time. During the spacewalk, Mr Zhai (mission leader) stayed outside the capsule for 15 minutes while his two fellow astronauts stayed inside. I do not enjoy reading this article because it is not related to me. However, i hope Malaysia will be like China in one day that send her citizens to the space independently soon.

Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7640301.stm

Loneliness 'makes you cold'

Recently, there is an article on the research has been done by the University of Toronto team , which is published on BBC news website, regarding the social isolation does make people feel cold. Those scientists ran their research in this way, they firstly divided 65 students into two groups. Then, one group recalled a personal experience in which they had been socially excluded and felt isolated or lonely; the other group recalled an experience in which they had been accepted. What the scientists found when they asked those students to estimate the room temperature, those who had thought about an isolating experience giving lower estimates of the temperature.

Besides, those students were asked to rate the desirability of hot coffee, crackers, soft-drinks, an apple, or hot soup. The result found is those who is being excluded prefer warm drinks compared to those being accepted. According to the researchers, their preference for warm food and drinks resulted from physically feeling cold as a result of being excluded. I found this article interesting shows there are physiological correlates to emotions. Therefore, i enjoyed reading it.

Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7635423.stm

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Men with sexist views 'earn more'

According to an article published on BBC news website that i have read recently, those men with sexist views earn more than those who do not.

You may sometimes think that men who grow up thinking women should stay at home may be labelled "old-fashioned" in this modern community - but could end up well ahead in the salary stakes. According to Dr Magdalena Zawisza, a psychologist from Winchester University, said that it could be that more traditionally-minded men are interested in power, both in terms of access to resources - money in this case. Hence, they earn more. I do not enjoyed reading this article because in my opinion, there are also a lot of men who have gained good positions and are not sexist.

Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7625173.stm

Saturday, September 20, 2008

Benefit of Coffee : Boosts male fertility


I have read an article written by Ania Lichtarowicz which published on BBC news site on 14 October 2003 regarding coffee boosts male fertility. The finding was came out by Brazilian scientists in United State of America.

According to those scientists, drinking coffee makes sperm swim faster and could improve male fertility, as well as the chances of pregnancy. Therefore, caffeine appears to be the only drug that is good for sperm. I do not enjoyed reading this article because it is not related to me. However, it seems to be a good news for those who plan to be fathers.

Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/3189224.stm

Thursday, September 18, 2008

Soya 'medicine' for breast cancer

There is an article published on BBC news website which mentioned that soya could be medicine for breast cancer. Dr Karen James, from the University of Portsmouth, is investigating ways of using natural hormone, isoflavones, from soya to develop a new medicine. He also found that Far Eastern women who ate a lot of soya products, had lower rates of cancer than western women. However, this natural isoflavones are rapidly metabolised in the body and are not effective. Scientists are now searching a way to make this plant hormones stay in the body longer, while still retaining their beneficial properties. I enjoyed reading this article because it is quite useful to me and i will eat more soya products to prevent breast cancer.

Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/hampshire/3707088.stm

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Have you heard of Drawer Kitchen?




Recently, I have read an article on Treehugger website. It is all about the most creative design 2008 Electrolux design contest - the Kitchen Drawer. The designer of this mobile drawer kitchen is Nojae Park. It is specially designed for the internet generation, who is always looking for something mobile and advance.

There are four main parts to this product; a stainless plate for meal preparation and warming, an electric stove for cooking, a dish drawer for storage, and a mini-fridge. What is interesting here is users can always select proper size of heat according to their pot size. I enjoyed reading this article because it introduced me a creative design. I would like t have it when it is available in Malaysia.

Source:http://www.yankodesign.com/2008/09/12/kitchen-on-wheels-natch/

Sunday, September 14, 2008

'Rare' mammoth skull discovered

There is an article published on BBC news website regarding an "extremely rare" fossilised skull of a steppe mammoth has been found in southern France.Palaeontologists Frederic Lacombat and Dick Mol describe this skull specimen as being well preserved. They believed that it belongs to a male steppe mammoth (scientific name: Mammuthus trogontherii) that lived about 400,000 years ago, during Middle Pleistocene times. What a great discover!

Based on researchers, the steppe mammoth is of vital importance for understanding mammoth evolution. It is because it represents the transitional phase between an ancient species known as the southern mammoth and the more recent woolly mammoth. Furthermore, they do not know much about Mammuthus trogontherii species and Middle Pleistocene. I enjoyed reading this article because it lets me know that how importance the fossils are in the study which is regarding the animals evolution.

Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7592317.stm

Saturday, September 13, 2008

Optimists live longer

There is an article written on BBC news website stating that optimists have a longer life-span than pessimists. Researchers has found that people with a positive outlook live, on average, 19% longer than those who are miserable.

According to Dr Toshihiko Maruta, a psychiatrist at the clinic, our mind and body are linked and that attitude has an impact on the final outcome, death. He said he could not say that happy people's immune systems being stronger. Yet, he believed that optimists live longer as they are more likely to seek medical help when they become ill. Optimists were less likely to suffer depression and helplessness and were less fatalistic about their health chances.

I enjoyed reading this article because the passage is easy to understand and examples are given to compare between optimists and pessimists.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/635292.stm

Thursday, September 11, 2008

Vitamin may pretend memory loss?

Recently, i have read an article which is regarding that a vitamin found in meat, fish and milk may help stave off memory loss in old age. A study has been done by a group of the researchers from the University of Oxford and suggested that older people with lower than average vitamin B12 levels were more than six times more likely to experience brain shrinkage. In that particular study, which is lasted for five years on 107 apparently healthy volunteers, found that 2 out of the 5 volunteers were lacked of vitamin and likely to show signs of brain shrinkage.

Another experiment is now carried out by Professor David Smith from the University of Oxford to test the effects of vitamin B in the elderly to see if taking them could slow brain shrinkage. In my opinion, the only way to prevent memory loss and diseases is to have a balanced diet and always keep ourselves fit through exercises. I enjoyed reading this article because it raise my awareness on the importance of the balanced diet in our daily lives.

Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7595423.stm

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Backing for folic acid in bread



I have read an article published on BBC news website which discussed about the bread should be fortified with folic acid to reduce birth defects such as spina bifida. Spina bifida here is a developmental birth defect involving the neural tube (incomplete closure of the embryonic neural tube results in an incompletely formed spinal cord). Researchers in UK has found that folic acid cuts the risk of neural tube defects, which affect hundreds of pregnancies a year. However, this folic acid could harm some elderly patients, as it could cause a deficiency in B12 vitamin. Folic acid is a substance that could find in vegetables like broccoli, peas, chickpeas, brown rice and fruit.

Besides, women are urged to eat extra folic acid when trying to get pregnant as it is important for the development of the spine in the first stages of pregnancy. In my opinion, it may be useful to increase the amount of folic acid in people's diet through fortification. It will be even better if the products with the fortified folic acid to be labelled so that the consumers in different ages could choose the products that bring benefits to them. I enjoyed reading this article because i gained new knowledge after reading it.

Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/6665109.stm

Monday, September 8, 2008

Bamboo Notebook



Recently, i have read an article at the site green.yahoo.com. The article is all about Asus company has came out with a bamboo notebook that is made of some sustainable wood product. This kind of laptop is now available in 12.1” and 11.1” models. The bamboo series laptops are not just environmental friendly but also using energy-efficient Super Hybrid Engine technology to extend battery life by 35-70% of other similar laptop. Furthermore, the best advantage of this laptop is that it can reduce carbon dioxide emissions as its computer system can adjust its power levels intelligently and automatically.

I enjoyed reading this article because i think it is a great and creative idea for a company to come out a notebook that combines a wonderful earthy look with efficient power usage. I would like to have this kind of laptop if it is available in Malaysia.

Source: http://green.yahoo.com/blog/ecogeek/737/bamboo-notebook-is-more-than-just-pretty.html
(written by Jaymi Heimbuch)

Friday, September 5, 2008

Bioplastic grown in grass



Recently, a Massachusetts based company, Metabolix has figured out how to grow plastic in the plant. I am shocked with this finding. Metabolix mix the genes of a few different species and coax switch the grass to grow its bioplastic in its leaves.

The bioplastic, which is given name as PHA, can be used in manufacturing everything from credit cards to packaging materials. All the chemical processes of forming plastic polymer are done within the grass leaves. The only thing the scientists need to do to collect the plastic is to cut the grass and get rid of the plant matter. Metabolix's aim is to get the plastic into commercial production by 2012. I really enjoyed reading this article because it shows a fantastic finding in the biotechnology field. I hope Metabolix can successfully commercialise its plastic by 2012. All the best.

Source: http://green.yahoo.com/blog/ecogeek/709/bioplastic-grown-in-grass.html

Monday, September 1, 2008

Leeching therapy



There is an interesting article in MYC! News malaysian college magazine about the leeching therapy. (September 2008, page 10). Leeches is now used for beauty treatment in Austria. Leeches are trained to be used in plastic and re constructive surgery. Enzyme that are released from them when they bite us will make us bleed quite a lot and this helps in detoxifying our blood. Thus, leeching therapy can be said to be a part of cleansing treatment. Leeches not only improve our blood circulation but also help in getting rid of poisons in blood, overcoming migraine, make us more alert after the removal of toxic blood.

How does the leeching therapy go on? First we need to shave as leeches will not bite on the skin surface which is not smooth. Then, the person who do the therapy will need to immersed herself in the turpentine before she fed to leeches. Normally, the leeches beauty treatment will take 20 minutes to 2 hours. I enjoyed reading this article because it is quite interesting. If there is a kind of beauty treatment like this in Malaysia, I might go and try it.

Sunday, August 31, 2008

Farm pregnancy 'cuts asthma risk'


There is an interesting article at BBC news website(http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7586328.stm) which is about living on a farm during pregnancy may help to reduce the chance of the child developing asthma, eczema and even hayfever. Scientists have done a study among 1,300 farmers' children and they found that this protection could start building even before birth. Scientists believed that if the children or the pregnant women are living on the farm, that means they frequent contact with animal bacteria, perhaps through the consumption of unpasteurised milk, or contact with the animals directly, thus the bacteria suppress the production of particular immune cells that linked to the development of asthma. However, the reasons why this happen still are unclear. I enjoyed reading this article because i gained knowledge after reading this article. Moreover, this article explains how the scientists can carried out researchers based on human biodiversity.

Australia suffering 'man drought'

I have read an article on BBC news website (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7589382.stm) written by Phil Mercer. An analysis of new census figures has shown that Australia is suffering from a "man drought". The statistics have revealed that there are almost 100,000 more females than males in Australia.
Why does this “man drought” phenomenon happen in Australia? It happens because a lot of women have moved to major cities seeking better jobs and lifestyles, they have left behind communities overloaded with younger males, while many men have gone overseas. Therefore, it causes a gender imbalance. Yet, the situation outside of the larger towns and cities is very different. In the town of Glenden in the northern state of Queensland there is one single female for every 23 men. I enjoyed reading it because the text is easy to understand and it is interesting.

Arrow fired through family's cat



There is an interesting article published on BBC news website (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/south_of_scotland/7586272.stm) about a family cat is expected to survive after its body was pierced by an 18-inch aluminium arrow. The cat named Marmite managed to make itself back to its home in the Scottish Borders village of Newcastleton after being struck. The cat was then taken by its owner Mark Richardson to the Capon Tree veterinary surgeon at Longtown to remove the arrow through delicate procedure. The vet said that if it had been half an inch lower, the arrow would have hit its organs and a couple of inches higher would have shattered its spine. I enjoyed reading it because this article explains the miracle happens to this cat which happens to be still alive even after the tragedy. After than that, the cat unbelievably managed to track down its owner.

Friday, August 29, 2008

Grasping life

An interesting article has been published in Reader’s Digest (July 2004, page 20 – 27) written by Marc Lerner which about a man named Hsieh Kun-shan lost his limbs due to an accident happened in his workplace. Despite his disabilities, he refused to give up hope for himself and other like him. He is now a successful artist after his efforts to learn the technique – moving his head to manipulate a brush clenched in his teeth. He said that he has no right to give up the will to live and he promised he will not give up himself. He is now having his own family and has two beautiful daughters. I enjoyed reading it because it shows the dedication of a disabled man to make a living.

Robo-skeleton lets paralysed walk



I have read an interesting article on BBC news website (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7582240.stm) which is about an engineer named Amit Goffer, who is suffering from paralysis, has created an alternative to the wheelchair for mobility. He created a robotic suit that helps people paralysed from the waist down do what was previously considered impossible - stand, walk and climb stairs.
This device is now in clinical trials in Tel Aviv’s Sheba Medical Centre and only suitable for people who still have good control over their hands and shoulders.

Although this device still in clinical trial state, but it has successfully helped Radi Kaiof who has been paralysed for the last 20 years following an injury during his service in the Israeli military. Radi said this device has changed his life as he never dreamed of being able to walk again. I really enjoyed reading it because it introduces me a great invention. I hope this great invention can be found in the market soon.

Boy has shoulder made from elbow



This morning, i have read a news at BBC website (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7588848.stm) regarding a boy has his shoulder made from elbow. His name is Tom Lemm, 15, from Pontefract. He was a teenage cancer pantient, who had a tumour at the top of the limb. Hence, doctors from Leeds General Hospital used tissue and muscle from his unaffected elbow to rebuild his shoulder by reconstructing a shoulder joint. A metal plate was inserted to his collar bond after the joint of his shoulder has been removed. What a surprise and tremendous thing here is his new shoulder will be able to support artificial limb. I really enjoyed reading because i was moved by the action of that little boy as he never gives up his life and always thinks optimistically.

Denmark - the happiest place on earth

I have read a news on BBC website (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/5224306.stm) which is about a scientist named Adrian White, from the UK's University of Leicester, used the responses of 80,000 people worldwide to map out subjective wellbeing. He found that Denmark is the happiest country on earth, followed closely by Switzerland and Austria. The UK ranked 41st. Zimbabwe and Burundi came bottom.

He said he was surprised to see countries in Asia scoring so low, with China 82nd, Japan 90th and India 125th. He also did mention that a nation's level of happiness was believed most closely associated with health, prosperity and education levels of her people. I did not enjoy reading this article because it did not mention Malaysia's rank on happiness.

Thursday, August 28, 2008

Miami gets 600 solar bus shelters



Have you ever heard of solar bus station? Well, you can now find it in Miami. I have read an article published on Yahoo!Green website (http://green.yahoo.com/blog/ecogeek/723/miami-gets-600-solar-bus-shelters.html). Actually, there is a media company Fuel Miami, LLC has come up with a brilliant idea to boost its company, its advertisers in the city of Miami where utilising solar power most obvious. The company had installed 600 solar-powered bus shelters in Miami. The shelters are believed will save about 2 tons of CO2 emissions each.

I hope that this particular case may encourage other media companies and our residents to make similar moves to make our world a better place to stay. I enjoyed reading this article because i gained new knowledge after reading it.

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Safe plastic or no plastic?



As we know, we are not encouraged to keep using the same plastic bottle for a long time as a chemical substance which may be harmful to us might leach out. According to Yahoo!Green website, that substance is actually called BPA. It is used in the production of polycarbonate plastics (reusable drinking bottles and baby bottles), epoxy resins (canned food linings), and white dental sealants. It is also added to certain types of children's toys to make them more flexible. According to the researchers, a low-level exposure to BPA is not a problem, but constant low-level exposure may be harmful, especially for children whose bodies are still developing.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had recently conducted a study and found BPA in the urine of 93% of the 2,517 participants analyzed. Those researchers also believe that BPA may have hormone-like effects on reproductive system and neuro-behavioral changes in the offspring. Now, the consumer demand is forcing the manufactures to stop its distribution. We are urged to look for plastics that are marked BPA-free. I enjoyed reading this article because it is related to our daily lives. Source: http://green.yahoo.com/blog/forecastearth/90/what-s-the-big-deal-about-bpa.html

Heat your vegetables!

A study has been done by researchers in Spain, published in Reader's Digest(July 2004, page 136) suggested that the best way to cook vegetables is using the microwave. Microwaving is the best way to cook the vegetables because it is fast and only requires little water. According to the Barry Swanson, a food scientist at Washington University, the more water and time we use in cooking vegetables, the more nutrients are destroyed or leak into water. I doubted this article because i think that the electromagnetic wave could depletes the minerals and vitamins in the vegetables.

Vitamin E!

I have read an article published in the Reader's Digest(March 2005, page 63) which is regarding not to consume too much vitamin E. Researchers led by epidemologist Edgar Miller reviewed with 19 studies had found that the risk of death increased by 5% if people took more than 400 IU of vitamin E daily. That means taking too much vitamin may cause death. I am really surprised with this findings. However, taking vitamin E in low doses is good for healthy skin and boost immunity. I enjoyed reading this article because it made me aware the consequences of taking too much vitamin.

Scientist create bugs that eat waste excrete petrol

As we know, the petroleum will be used up soon. Hence, scientists are trying hard to find the renewable sources than can replace the petrol. Recently, i have read an article which is about the scientists from LS9 company had modified the genetic of bugs and let them feed on the wheat straw and woodchips to excrete petrol. The oil which is excreted by bugs(actually are single-cell organisms, each a fraction of a billionth the size of an ant) named "Oil 2.0" which is not only renewable but also environmental friendly. It is cheaper than the crude oil as it does not involve in complicated procedure as cracking. It slso emits less carbon than the petrol. Now, those scientist are trying to build a plant which can produce a large quantities of petrol to fulfill the global demand. I enjoyed reading this article because it is interesting and fascinating. Source: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article4133668.ece

Monday, August 25, 2008

Egg Expertise for Lay People

This article is about the hen diet will affect the taste of its egg. I enjoyed reading this article because it is interesting. Just like humans, more healthy mother will deliver more healthy son. Thus, if the hen eat healthy, it produces better eggs. A hen that given feed free of synthetic pesticides and fertiliser will lay organic eggs. An author of the cookbook "Country Egg, City Egg", Gayle Pirie did mentioned in the article that organic eggs will perform better in cooking. (page138) So, if we want to buy organic eggs, we need to know what the hen feeds on. Source:Reader's Digest March 2005

Tuesday, August 5, 2008

What makes a good power point presentation?

A good power point presentation should have following criteria:
1. Have an good attention getter
2. Use visual aid especially those interesting pictures
3. Avoid using too much words or wordy
4. Use proper font's colour that suits the background's colour
5. Use simple and proper background
6. Have body and good conclusion that could leave an impact to the audience
7. Don't put too much chart in one slide, one is enough
8. Use suitable font size
9. The slide can be seen clearly and easy to be read
10.Use simple words that can be easily understood by the audience

What makes a good presenter?

A good presenter should have the following criteria:
1.Have eye contact with the audience
2.Have the weight on both feet
3.Open double hand when he are talking
4.Speak clearly and loudly so that the audience can hear you
5.Be yourself
6.Don't stop when you had made mistake
7.Don't show the back to the audience
8.Be prepared before present
9.Know the time, place, condition and your audience
10.Presentation must not be too long or else it will lose audience's concentration
11.Have proper gesture as listed below:
a.Have the shoulders wide apart
b.One foot slightly in front of the other
c.Lean forward 3-5 degree to show sincerity
d.Touch his chin slightly in and relax
12.Show your confidence to the audience when you speak to get attention
These are the criteria i have learn from the video shown in class.

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Money Talks

I've found that it is difficult for me to manage my money well in university. Money management doesn't sound familiar to me as i am not exposed to it before. When i was young, my expenses were managed by my parents.
Last week, I've read an article entitled "Money Talks" in Reader's Digest (October 2007, page 140),which mainly states the ways how parents should teach their kids to manage their money well, written by Chan Hse May. I found this article is useful to me and I really enjoyed reading it as it teaches me to list down the items i am going to buy before grocery shopping and buy the things i need only. Moreover, I would like to use the tips and the rules of managing money that has been discussed in that article once i have my own kids in future.

Healthy diet spoils taste for cigarettes!

As we know, smoking is the bad habit that can destroy our lung and it is the main cause of lung cancer. I have read an article in Reader's Digest (October 2007, page 64) which stated that the US researchers has suggested that taking milk, water, fruit and vegetables may help us to quit smoking, while as drinking coffee, alcohol and eating meat may enchanced us the taste of cigarettes.
I have an uncle , who is actually a chain-smoker, can finish a packet of cigarettes in one day. At the same time, he is addicted to coffee. This proved that coffee enhanced the taste of cigarettes. So, try taking less coffee, alcohol and meat to reduce the percentage of becoming a smoker. I enjoyed reading this article because it provides me new information and at the same time, it reminds me not to take too much coffee as it may enchanced me the taste of cigarettes.

Transsexual toilet offered in Thai school


I have read an article published at BBC news site regarding transsexual toilets offered in Thai school. Firstly, i enjoyed reading this article as it is a well-organised and it is an interesting article. Have you ever see any sign like this before? As we know, Thailand is well known for its tolerance of transgender men. Now, they are offering a transsexual toilet in Kampang Secondary School. There are 10% to 20% of the boys in that school who consider themselves to be transgender (boys who would rather be girls) every year. They feel uncomfortable as they has been teased when they enter either boys' and girls' toilets. Thus, the school decided to offer transsexual toilet.
Well, actually the transgender would like us to treat them perfectly as normal. However, discrimination still occurs as they are not allow to change their gender on identity card. It is not their fault to be a transgender as it is not their will to be one. So we need to respect them and their rights. They deserved to be treated as a normal person.
Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7529227.stm , By Jonathan Head

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Home Front.

I have read an article written by Alanna Nash in the Reader's Digest (August 2007, page 25 to page 27). It is about a daughter whose name is Mary Ellen gave up her six-figure salary job in order to take care of her father, Woody Geist, who is announced to have Alzheimer's Disease.
Have you ever think that if you were Mary Ellen, would you give up your high salary job and making a decision to take care of your ill father who can't even recall your name and do silly things in public? Or you would rather to send him to the old-folks' home? Well, keep the answer in your heart. Nowadays, more and more ill old men and women in our country have been sent to old folks' home. This shows that our moral has been corrupted. This article had actually reminded me that there are still a lot of elderly people need our attention. I really enjoyed reading this article because it is touching and it is well-illustrated. On the other hand, i also love what the daughter (Mary Ellen) had mentioned in that article " There is such a feeling that wells up inside you when you put someone's needs in front of your own." (page 27).

Plastic Plasma?!

According to an article in Reader's Digest (August 2007), plasma that is made from plastic will be soon able to save lives in emergencies when the real blood is not available. Don't you think it is amazing, do you? This plastic plasma is created by Lance Twyman, PhD from University of Sheffield and it is made from polymer and prophyrin that can hold iron atoms (page 63). For your information, it is similar in size and shape to the haemoglobin and able to transport oxygen. However, it is still confined to lab at this moment.
Here, come a question! Do you dare to pump plastic into your bloodstream if you are in a situation that need a quick replacement of blood loss to save your own life? If you said you are brave to do so, don't you think that your action is already opposing to the law of nature? Now, people are using science to create anything. They even started to clone just intend to get the organs. In my opinion, it doesn't mean that it is not good to use science to save our lives but the point is we need to use it properly and do not against the law of nature. I did enjoy reading the article because it introduced me to a new invention.

How dangerous it is?

Starbucks! Coffee Beans! Nescafe! Ipoh White Coffee etc. Those are the world's top-selling brands of coffee. Here, i am going to share an article that i have read in Reader's Digest (August 2007) written by Katharine Mieszkowski saying that kids nowadays are consuming more caffeine than ever (page 93). According to Dr. Angela Sharkey, a paediatric cardiologist, kids are ended up with dehydrated and some fo them even suffer from dizziness and fainting after they had overdosed on caffeine (page 94). The factors ,which has been mentioned in the article, cause the young to drink caffeinated beverages are they want to stay awake studying especially during the exam time, to stay all night playing online game and want to be more energetic. In fact, when they are consuming too much caffeinated beverages, it will actually make them feel more lethargic and may also linked them to high blood pressure in adolescents.

Ladies and gentlemen, it is better to stop your child and your relatives from developing the caffeine habit after you had finished reading my post. I didn't enjoyed reading this article as i love to drink caffeinated drinks like coffee and tea. Well, i will start to reduce caffeine from today!

Pace yourself!

It's my pleasure to share a topic here entitled "Pace yourself!" that i have read in Reader's Digest (August 2007) . Nowadays, people are always in rush and put themselves in a risk of getting coronary heart disease. According to the article, the top ten fastest paced countries are Singapore, Spain, Denmark, China, Ireland, Brazil, Germany, USA, Netherlands and Austria. Singaporeans use only 10.55 seconds to cover 18 metres while as residents in Austria use 12.06 seconds to cover the same distance(page 135).
Time is money! Therefore, people are rushing to earn more. Usually, they do not exercise, eat poorly and spend less time with their family and friends. Some scientists and psychologists even mentioned that the increased pace of life is driven by technology, such as internet. People are getting less patient and tend to have higher percentage in getting coronary diseases. Yes, it is undeniable that money is important and hard to earn. Money doesn't grow on trees and money doesn't fall from sky. Yet, health is more important. If we died, all our hard earned money will be left behind! Hence, sometimes, we need to slow down. I enjoyed reading it because it reminds me to have life in slow lane.

Monday, July 28, 2008

How to test one's honesty?

There is an interesting article in Reader's Digest (August 2007) entitled " What we found when we lost 960 mobiles around the world?" (page 28) The article is about a group of local Reader's Digest reporters had conducted an experiment to test one's honesty in 32 countries(page29). They conducted their experiment in this way: Two reporters will be in one group, one of them will purposely mislaid his mobile phone in public and the other observed the mobile from a distance. Based on the data collected, they found that only 43% Malaysians return the mobile to the owner after the reporter called them to have his mobile back (page 31). See, Malaysians are very honest!
Having tested the world, Reader's Digest found that 97% of mobile phones left in public was returned in Solvenia (page31). This statistics shows that its residents were universally helpful and can be trusted. Besides that, what's interesting in this article is they compared the old and the youth, they found that young people were just as honest as their elders (page33). Here, come a question, how are we going to teach our young generation if we are the one who do not practice the moral value? Let's think, if you were a mother who saw a mislaid mobile in front of your child, what would you do? Well, will you just simply pick it up ,switch it off and keep it or you will give it back immediately to the owner and set an example in front of your child? Think about it! I didn't enjoyed reading this article because it is too long.

Friday, July 25, 2008

Dolphin can tell calf who's mum

I have read an interesting news at the BBC news site http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7511352.stm ( written by Anna-Marie Lever
Science and Nature reporter, BBC News). This news is regarding the findings of a US team appear in the journal Marine Mammal Science by which the female bottlenose dolphins will whistle more than 10 times after giving birth so that their calf will recognise who's their mum. By producing this kind of signature whistles, it may also help to prevent the female dolphins from stealing newborns from other dolphin mothers. According to Dr Fripp, theft incidents always occur in the first day of the calf's life. Don't you think it is interesting, do you? This really shows how unique the ways mammals taking care of their young. However, what had made me dissapointed after reading the news is even an animal know how to take care of their young, why humans don't? Why do the cases like dumping the newborn child still happen in our societies? Think about that!

Living Green

According to an interesting article entitled "living green" in Reader's Digest (November 2007, page 36 to page 41) illustrated by Chirstoph Niemann, Finland is the greenest and most-livable country based on her social and environmental factors. The writer has analysed the data, which covering 141 nations, to rank the planet's greenest and the most livable places. How our country, Malaysia, rate? Overall, Malaysia is still a nice place to live. Our ranking is at 54 among 141 countries (page 39). However, from my point of view, we still need to put more efforts and be more co-operative to make our country a better and a greener place to live. People are urged to practice 3R in their daily lives. However, it seems people in our country are still not aware about recycling and energy saving, so it is our responsibilities to preserve mother nature for our next generation. Remember, we are just the one who borrow the earth from our young generation. I really enjoyed reading this article because it teaches us how to preserve and improve our current environment condition.

Super Soap?

Have you ever heard of a soap made from Wasabi? If you don't, let me introduce you the wasabi soap. Based on an article in Reader's Digest ( November 2007, page 133) which was written by Kenrya M. Rankin, Japanese researchers had found that the wasabi can fight bacteria and hence, they are using wasabi to make soaps. In their study, they found that if we use wasabi soap to wash our hands for 30 seconds, it will help us to get rid of 99.9 per cent of germs on our hands. What an interesting article! Will you try this super soap? I will want to try it if it can be found in Malaysia. I enjoyed reading the article as it introduced me to a new beneficial product.

5 surprising reasons to get more sleep

I have read an interesting article that is published in the Reader's Digest (November 2007) entitled " 5 surprising reasons to get more sleep"(page 135). Based on that article, we are encouraged to get more sleep. These are among the few benefits that are mentioned in that particular article if we get more sleep: 1. sleep makes you thinner ( i am happy with that) 2. sleep boosts your memory 3. it can fight colds, ulcers and even cancer 4. sleep slows down ageing 5. sleep could keep you orderly. Nowadays, people are busy with their work and they don't have enough sleep, especially those who are staying in the urban area. Normally, we all need to spend at least 8 hours a day for sleeping. Well, i like sleeping and i will definitely grab some extra shut-eye if i am free. I enjoyed reading it as i will have more reasons to get more sleep to lose weight. I am pleased with that.

Monday, July 21, 2008

the best fellowship night i had ever been

I went out on last Saturday for MYF fellowship in Kuantan Methodist church. We (my friends and i) were welcomed by cards and some sweets. Then, we were divided in groups to play a game just alike Amazing Race. We were instructed to buy things which has been listed on a piece of paper at 6 different places. Those places we were asked to go were Megamall, East Coast Mall, Tunas Mart, Eng Hung Mart, The Store near the Terminal Makmur and Kuantan Parade. The winner of the game will be the first group coming back with more things at the cheapest price. It was an interesting game. My friend and i were in rush to choose the cheapest thing to buy before we left for the next destination. Finally, we have succeed to buy 10 things with the price RM10.10. Now, i knew where's the Tunas Mart located and for sure i won't get lost in Kuantan. Hee Hee

Friday, July 11, 2008

My friend - Miss Chitra

Wearing a blackspot on her forehead,
Love to listen the musics,
And love chinese food,
Coming from the capital of Malaysia - Kuala Lumpur,
The only girl in her family,
Cute,
Intelligent,
Dedicated,
Friendly,
Pretty. But, complicated in status.
I am not the William Shakespeare,
but i think this is the best description of her.
Welcome to UMP, Miss Chitra.