Recycling and reuse

Recycling involves the collection of used and discarded materials processing these materials and making them into new products. It reduces the amount of waste that is thrown into the community dustbins thereby making the environment cleaner and the air more fresh to breathe.

Surveys carried out by Government and non-government agencies in the country have all recognized the importance of recycling wastes. However, the methodology for safe recycling of waste has not been standardized. Studies have revealed that 7 %-15% of the waste is recycled. If recycling is done in a proper manner, it will solve the problems of waste or garbage. At the community level, a large number of NGOs (Non Governmental Organizations) and private sector enterprises have taken an initiative in segregation and recycling of waste (EXNORA International in Chennai recycles a large part of the waste that is collected). It is being used for composting, making pellets to be used in gasifiers, etc. Plastics are sold to the factories that reuse them.

The steps involved in the process prior to recycling include
a) Collection of waste from doorsteps, commercial places, etc.
b) Collection of waste from community dumps.
c) Collection/picking up of waste from final disposal sites.

Some items that can be recycled or reused
Paper
Plastic
Glass and ceramics
Miscellaneous

Most of the garbage generated in the household can be recycled and reused. Organic kitchen waste such as leftover foodstuff, vegetable peels, and spoilt or dried fruits and vegetables can be recycled by putting them in the compost pits that have been dug in the garden. Old newspapers, magazines and bottles can be sold to the kabadiwala the man who buys these items from homes.

In your own homes you can contribute to waste reduction and the recycling and reuse of certain items. To cover your books you can use old calendars; old greeting cards can also be reused. Paper can also be made at home through a very simple process and you can paint on them.

Fill in the table above with the articles shown below:

Old copies,Old books,Paper bags,Newspapers,Old greeting cards,Cardboard box

Containers.Bottles,Bags,Sheets,Bottles ,Plates.Cup,Bowls Old cans,Utensils,Clothes,furniture

The schematic diagram below depicts recycling of wastes

Source: CPCB Report on Management of Municipal Solid Waste

Waste recycling has some significant advantages. It
leads to less utilization of raw materials.
reduces environmental impacts arising from waste treatment and disposal.
makes the surroundings cleaner and healthier.
saves on landfill space.
saves money.
reduces the amount of energy required to manufacture new products.

In fact recycling can prevent the creation of waste at the source.

Questions:

1.     What is the definition of recycling?

2.     How does recycling make the environment cleaner and the air fresher to breathe?

3.     What can be used for composting?

4.     What happens to plastic?

5.     What are the steps involved in recycling? Name 2.

6.     What is organic kitchen waste?

7.     How can it be recycles?

8.     Who buys the old newspapers in Malaysia?

9.     How can you contribute to waste reduction in the home?

10.  Name 2 significant advantages of recycling.

11.  How can you, do your part in recycling at

A: the school

B.  home

C. the work-place

Vocablulary

1.discarded   2. NGOs  3.composting 4 pellets 5. Gasifiers 6  prior to  7. Commercial places 8 landfills

9 rag pickers 10. Junk dealers

LOO MEE KEUN 30.7.2012

Movie Review: Hungry for The Hunger Games

Friday, March 23, 2012

Movie Review: Hungry for The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games

Updated: Check out the latest movie news on Catching Fire, The Hunger Games sequel.

And may the odds be ever in your favor! We have seen a lot of books that were turned to movies. John, being an avid reader and book collector, knows most of them and he can surely say that there are misses and hits. Lucky for this year we had a full serving of The Hunger Games and it's surely a certified hit.

Let's digest what made this movie a great one and worthy of our attention:

The Adaptation From Book

It is always hard to adapt a book into a movie, most especially if it has a legion of die hard followers who wanted to hear every line of dialogue incorporated into the movie. This is not possible, of course. But with The Hunger Games it has made ways to be faithful to the book despite a few alteration. It would have been very dragging should Katniss's monologue on the book were translated as is in the movie, but by doing how it was done exactly in the movie: it was amazing artistically and very effective at that.

A viewer would certainly be bored, even if he is an avid fan if each and every thought that the main character had will be blurted out in the screen. Instead it was done in a sport commentary kind of way that Stanley Tucci, playing the your-friend-your-enemy host Caesar, effectively conveyed. All in all, even the most avid fan would agree that the book was best adapted as we see it in the movie. I dare say there could be no better way to do it.

The Cast of Actors and Their Acting

The cast of actors, having been involved in some adaptations before, are familiar and more likely relatable. After seeing how sincere Jennifer Lawrence's acting was I can't imagine should the role have landed to other actors that were considered for the role. Josh Hutcherson's Peeta Mellark is as supposed as he should be, portraying a very strong guy that still emanates a complexity of vulnerability and weakness. Elizabeth Banks's Effie Trinket was also a bonus.

We don't get the usual cheesy combination of actors who can't barely act the way I wanted them to, but these actor being fans of the book themselves surely put there passion on every acting they did in order to give as a unique and very convincing portrayal of each characters. Except one, Woody Harrelson's Haymitch could have been better, I believe.

The Special and Physical Effects, and Production

Who would have not felt the dread of seeing District 12's dilapidated condition as opposed to the majestic living of the Capitol? There, we can already see the contrast of living between two opposing locations. One would surely sympathize on the conditions of the district people: how they suffer, how they have barely something to eat and how those devil may care Capitol people seem not to notice all these.

We see the big difference even in the color palette. The Capitol enjoys the colorful and extravagant collection of fizz and dills on their garments and make up showing how they can spend dearly on ornaments that they could live without, while the extreme districts, slurp the crumbs on the mud and have barely nothing to protect them from the harsh weather. It's as if I could almost say that this is not a movie, but a "documentary on poverty."

The movie has an effective way of rendering physical effects, but I can say that they could still improve on the special one. I mean I was expecting the girl on fire to be truly on fire. And after seeing the fiery attire the District 12 champions wore during the parade I was like, "Is that it?" On the other hand, the futuristic architecture was certainly CGI and I commend the movie for that convincing and creative feel on it,.

The Creatures and the Mythology

In the book, we see creatures and other beings that only reside on this story. They are unique and have the right of their own to express their existence. But in the movie we barely even know of their backgrounds and the mythology behind their existence. We have a very fast glimpses of mockingjays and tracker jackers and they were not really given a hundred percent justice.

And the genetically modified wolves? What happened to them? In the book they were even given the spirit and characters of the victims that died during the game. Why did they have to be showcased like some automaton and brutish creatures without showing the hatred and the feeling of revenge of the victims that should have been there.

Only a few areas of the book has not been given much emphasis and this is one of them.

The Relationship and The Love Affairs

Everyone in the cinema was crying over the fate that Rue has to go through. One annoying viewer even has the guts to wail and let the whole viewers know she is really affected. This is a manifest that the relationship between Katniss and Rue, played by Amandla Stenberg, was really at its best portrayal. And this goes back to the cast's good acting. I can clearly state that there is a chemistry between the two characters: one remembering her younger sister with the other and another needing a mature guidance showing how vulnerable she is during the entire competition.

But who would forget Katniss's and Peeta's love affair? We may have not heard Katniss say each and every thought to feel that she really is confused about the matter, but we still have the feel of it by how the two star crossed lover interacted all the time. It was awkward at the moment since Katniss is undecided by then, but when the time they have to show they are intimate they did there best, and how lovely and convincing it was on screen. And the best part of all this is the remorse that Gale Hawthorne (played by Liam Hemsworth) has to feel seeing his most loved girl being caressed by another man.

The Overall Impact of the Movie

I say, after having lost fate on books turned to movies, I have disappointed my self again on this negative expectation, because simply this one is very good. From the technicalities of movie making up to the visual area of it I can say the the movie has made a very good job. It may not have been very perfect, but who cares there is no perfect movie out there (and if there is it's not many, I guess). What matters most is for the two hours and 20 minutes that I spent watching the movie is a an equivalent amount of time that I feel I have been transported to a world which is very different from what we have now. It was a convincing movie that I felt I was almost trapped into that distant dystopia.

I praise the director and the cast and all the people behind this movie, because they have given us something good, something worthwhile. All these were achieved, because of their passion and dedication in satisfying this not-so-die-hard fan among many others.

Rating: 4.5 / 5, Still have more room for improvement.

Chin San Sooi Biodata
 Tel. 03-79806746
 e-mail: sschin@pd.jaring.my
B.A. (Hons) University of Malaya
 British Council Scholarship 1969-70 to study speech and drama at Central School of Speech and Drama, London.
 Been teaching since 1964.
 Award: 16th Pride of Workmanship Awards
15th Feb 2003 by the Rotary Club of Ipoh in recognition of outstanding performance in the teaching profession having served with dedication, commitment and pride in the chosen vocation.
 Designed the Power of the Voice course and has been conducting it since 1985.
 Designed Speech and Drama course for 6 year old kindergarten children for Edventure Sdn Bhd Companies and Corporate bodies which benefited from the above course: TV3, MetroVision, Bloomberg Malaysia, Teachers Training College, Kuala Lumpur, Price Water House, BMG Malaysia, Cosway Direct Marketing Co., Malaysian Pineapple Board, Johore, Sabah Tourist Department, Methodist Girls School Malacca, Jerneh Insurance, Kuala Lumpur, College of Foreign Economic Relations HCM City ,Vietnam, Sunway College Kuala Lumpur, Lifelinks Singapore, Seimans Kuala Lumpur, Applied Information Management Services (AIMS) Sdn Bhd, numerous Toast Masters clubs , individuals, professionals students in Malaysia and Singapore and from China, Japan and Indonesia. Conducted a course on Public Speaking to AON (Risk Insurance) Wrote and directed the following plays: Lady White (A re-telling of the Madam White Snake Legend), Morning In Night (musical), Yap Ah Loy the Play, Reunion (musical) published in1994, Kuala Lumpur Sentral (musical). Also directed many Shakespearean plays and local Broadway Musicals among others. Invited by Ø East West Center, Hawaii to direct Emily of Emerald Hill by Stella Kon in 1986 Ø Chinese Theatre Workshop, New York to direct Zhang Boils the Ocean in 1996. Founder Member of Ø Five Arts Centre 1984 Ø Chinese Opera Club, Kuala Lumpur 1992.

ipod

Together-gether

Sunday March 4, 2012

All about tact and diplomacy

By ALYCIA LIM

A CAREER in diplomacy may not guarantee material wealth, but it can guarantee a rich life.
Human Development and Peace Foundation president Ambassador Datuk Dr G.K. Ananda Kumaraseri said being a diplomat is an occupation that is always alive.
“Even when you sleep, the other half of the world is making mischief,” he said in his talk titled An Ambassador’s Insight Into Diplomacy and Foreign Affairs on Tuesday.
Ananda said that diplomats do not have a set routine in their work, and they are frequently met with different challenges.

Tunku Dara presenting the books to Prof Dr Izaham in conjunction with ESU Malaysia’s ninth AGM.

“There will always be all sorts of challenges, but these are opportunities to develop your skills.”
He said that in order to be a diplomat, one has to be able to think clearly and be objective, but more importantly they must have a genuine interest in meeting people.
“You must also have good communication skills. For that, the English language is essential as your tongue is your tool to diplomacy,” he said.

Ananda says that a diplomat must have a keen interest in meeting people.

Asked by a member of the audience what the level of English proficiency is for diplomats in Malaysia on a scale of one to 10, Ananda said, “Below five.”
He said that while there are some who are excellent in their language, those standards should be applied all across the board.
He added, “This may be a very old profession, but it is a noble profession. However, there are many things that diplomats contribute which are intangible and because of that, there is little investment in this area.”
Ananda gave his talk after a book presentation ceremony by the English Speaking Union (ESU) Malaysia to Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) in conjunction with ESU’s ninth Annual General Meeting.
ESU Malaysia chairman Tunku Dara Tunku Tan Sri Naquiah Tuanku Ja’afar said that ESU had selected UiTM as recipients of the books because of the high standard of reading at the institution. “After visiting UiTM, we felt that they have a good library, and they really encourage reading at the institution.
The university also has a good section for international books, so we hope they will make full use
of these books,” she said.
UiTM Education Faculty dean Assoc Prof Dr Izaham Shah Ismail said, “We are very thankful that ESU has chosen to give the books to us, as many of our students are from rural areas and do not have much access to good literary titles like these.”
He added that the institution strives to produce future teachers who not only educate, but mould and drive the future generation in areas beyond academics.
“Our faculty is grateful the ESU has graciously bestowed the first instalment of their yearly Gift of Knowledge to us,” he said.

In your country, people who work hard pay for people who don’t want  to... We don’t understand, say parents of Malaysian 'bad Samaritan' riot victim

By Simon Parry In Kuala Lumpur

Last updated at 10:02 PM on 3rd March 2012

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The parents of the student robbed by thugs posing as ‘good Samaritans’ during last summer’s London riots have accused Britain’s welfare state of encouraging people to be lazy.
With calm dignity, Ashraf Rossli’s Malaysian mother and father told of the trauma their 21-year-old son still suffers and the tough lessons the attack has taught them about this country.
Retired army officer Rossli Harun and his primary school teacher wife Maznah Abu Mansor yesterday spoke to The Mail on Sunday from Ashraf’s grandparents’ home on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur.

Criticism: Rossli Harun and Maznah Abu Mansor, pictured with their youngest son Futri, have given a disarming view of Ashraf Rossli's benefit-claiming attacker

Mr Rossli said: ‘The boy who attacked my son was young – he was only 17. But he wasn’t at school, he wasn’t at work, and he was getting Government money.

 

More...

• Murder probe in Cambridge as knifeman kills one and injures another in morning frenzy
• Hospital patient plummets 40ft to his death despite staff clinging on to him for 10 MINUTES in a bid to prevent him from falling

‘The system in Britain makes people lazy. In Malaysia, if you want to earn money, you have to work. And if you want to earn more money, you have to study hard. 
‘In Britain, people who work pay tax and it goes to people who do no work. I don’t understand that.’

Impact: Victim Ashraf Rossli has been left psychologically scarred by the robbery in East London

The 50-year-old said the audacious robbery in East London had left a psychological scar on his son.
‘Now, when he sees a crowd of people coming towards him in the street, he will cross the road and walk on the other side,’ he said.
‘He is still affected by what happened and I don’t know how long that will stay with him. Maybe for a long time.’
The video footage of Ashraf’s ordeal – captured on a witness’s mobile phone – was seen around the world and shamed Britain.
It showed the accountancy student, bloodied and dazed after being punched and robbed of his bicycle, hauled to his feet by two men who make as if to help him.
In doing so they stole a games console and games worth £500 from his rucksack.
On Friday, 22-year-olds John Kafunda, of Ilford, and Reece Donovan, of Romford, were convicted at Wood Green Crown Court of violent disorder, robbery and later burgling a Tesco store.
At an earlier trial, 17-year-old Beau Isagba was found guilty of punching and breaking Ashraf’s jaw during the initial bicycle theft.
It was the revelation that Isagba was jobless and on benefits that stunned Mr Rossli.
Following the attack on August 8, Ashraf’s parents were shown around London by MPs and dignitaries.

Video evidence: Ashraf Rossli is helped to his feet, but then has his possessions stolen by Kafunda (in grey hoodie) and Donovan (in cap)

Lowest of the low: Their victim continues to tend to his wounds on his face as thieves make off with the contents of his rucksack

Their experience convinced them that Britain was a friendly and fundamentally decent country – but also left them with a worrying impression that the flames of the unrest may have been fanned by a system that overindulges troublemakers and the workshy.
‘This kind of system is not good,’ said Mr Rossli, whose only trip outside Malaysia before the attack on his son was a tour of duty in Bosnia in the Nineties.
‘I believe if you are physically well, if there is nothing wrong with you, you should work. They shouldn’t give money to people who can work but don’t.
‘You should only give this money to the right people – people who are disabled, people who are ill, people who are in hardship. But not to people who are well and can work, but choose not to.’
Asked what he thought of the youths who attacked his son, Mr Rossli said: ‘It is up to parents to raise their children. Children need to be taught civic responsibility and discipline as they grow up.’

Guilty: Reece Donovan, 24 (left) was convicted of theft while John Kafunda, 22 (right) was found guilty of robbery. The pair were both convicted of violent disorder

And he was also critical of the police. ‘The police in Malaysia would have taken action sooner,’ he said.
‘Your police let it grow and grow until it was out of control. I don’t understand why people were allowed to run riot and rob in that way.
'Here in Malaysia the police can catch you and grab you if you do something wrong. But in Britain it seems that you cannot.’
Malaysia’s government is known for being authoritarian, but Mr Rossli said: ‘After this happened, people asked Ashraf why he went outside when there were riots and he replied, “Because in Malaysia we are always free to walk outside”.
'We have a tough government in Malaysia, but when something like this happens, they take action. They don’t let it get out of control. The streets are safe.’

Vicious: Mr Rossli was set upon by another group, which included Beau Isagba, 17, pictured, who was convicted by a court earlier this month of punching him

Ashraf’s ordeal brought him face-to-face with youths who – while not distant from him in age – could not have been more different in attitudes and values.
They were looting, burning and thieving. Ashraf, by contrast, had been innocently riding his bicycle through Barkingside to a friend’s house to share a meal to mark the end of a Muslim fasting period.
An exemplary student who scored straight As in his high school exams, Ashraf had been in London for just a month after winning a Malaysian government scholarship to study accountancy at Kaplan International College in Islington.
The scholarship covered the £60,000 cost of his two-year course, which would have been impossible for his parents to fund.
In return, he must work for the Malaysian government for five years on his return, lecturing young accountancy students.
Ashraf’s family live in a simple three-room apartment in Kuala Lumpur’s Ampang district, half an hour’s drive from the grandparents’ home where they gathered yesterday. Their home is worth £30,000.
Grandfather Abu Mansor Bin Mohammad Noh, 79, who grew up when Malaysia was under British rule, said he was shocked to hear Ashraf had been attacked so soon after arriving in London.
But he believed his grandson should stay in the UK. ‘I still think England is a good place and I am proud of my grandson for earning the opportunity to study there. He is the first person in my family to study abroad,’ he said.
‘What happened to Ashraf doesn’t make me feel bad towards Britain. It is just a certain kind of person who does these things.
‘I believe most in Britain are very good people.’

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2109800/In-country-people-work-hard-pay-people-don-t-want--We-don-t-understand-say-parents-Malaysian-bad-Samaritan-riot-victim.html#ixzz1o9MVr5Bi

Joshua Bell played Bach incognito at a metro

• 

  Wall Photos

  A must read. Awareness.
  
  ------------------------------
  
  A man sat at a metro st...ation in Washington DC and started to play the violin; it was a cold January morning. He played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, since it was rush hour, it was calculated that 1,100 people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.
  
  Three minutes went by, and a middle aged man noticed there was musician playing. He slowed his pace, and stopped for a few seconds, and then hurried up to meet his schedule.
  
  A minute later, the violinist received his first dollar tip: a woman threw the money in the till and without stopping, and continued to walk.
  
  A few minutes later, someone leaned against the wall to listen to him, but the man looked at his watch and started to walk again. Clearly he was late for work.
  
  The one who paid the most attention was a 3 year old boy. His mother tagged him along, hurried, but the kid stopped to look at the violinist. Finally, the mother pushed hard, and the child continued to walk, turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. All the parents, without exception, forced them to move on.
  
  In the 45 minutes the musician played, only 6 people stopped and stayed for a while. About 20 gave him money, but continued to walk their normal pace. He collected $32. When he finished playing and silence took over, no one noticed it. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.
  
  No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the most talented musicians in the world. He had just played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, on a violin worth $3.5 million dollars.
  
  Two days before his playing in the subway, Joshua Bell sold out at a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100.
  
  This is a real story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste, and priorities of people. The outlines were: in a commonplace environment at an inappropriate hour: Do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize the talent in an unexpected context?
  
  One of the possible conclusions from this experience could be:
  
  If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world playing the best music ever written, how many other things are we missing?See More

  By: Kristof Burm

Learning Hokkien the easy way

Political Joke

FRIDAY, JANUARY 14, 2011

Political Joke

Chopping The Cherry Tree...

Legend has it that George Washington, America's first president, chopped down a cherry tree in his youth. George gives the tree a good swing and chops it down with an axe . His father sees the damaged tree and asks his son if he knows who did the deed. George is quoted bravely admitting the truth :-

'I can't tell a lie, Pa; you know I can't tell
a lie. I did cut it with my axe.'


This is a satire of how some Malaysian politicians circa 2008 may have reacted to the question :-

PM Badawi -
I did not cut down the tree, I was just taking a nap underneath it.

Najib -
I swear that I have never MET that tree.

Hishamuddin-
... but I only own a keris, not axe, how to cut down the tree.

Dr.M -
Apa nama cherry tree, I chopped it down because, I don't like the idea of Pak lah sleeping under it.

Chua Soi Lek -
Yes it was me, I resign as caretaker of this orchard.

VK Lingam -
It could be me, it might have been me but I don't think it's me.

Anwar Ibrahim -
I DID NOT do it, and I am not giving any DNA samples for you to plant on the axe handle.

Khir Toyo -
the new state government should just trim the grass and not waste time asking who cut the tree.

Ahmad Said ( TerrenganuMB)-
I chopped it because cherry trees are more expensive to maintain than durian trees.

Azalina Othman -
The cherry tree is not included under my tourism MOU so I cut it down. Besides there were unauthorized signboards put up around the tree.

Shabery Cheek -
I challenge you to a debate on tree cutting.

Samy Velu -
I chopped it because HINDRAF members were using it as a meeting point

Wira Ali Rustam -
We have planted Durian trees for 50 years and we will plant them for another 50 years, we do not need cheery trees, apple trees, pear trees and all these other foreign trees.

Rais Yatim -
You must see the bigger picture, Ahmad said cherry trees are expensive to maintain, Ali Rustan said that are against our national identity and I needed to test my new axe, so you see- it's a WIN-WIN situation all around.

Sharir Samad -
I cut the tree because we could no longer afford to subsidize it.

Karpal Singh -
The bigfoot creature did it.

Bung Mokhtar -
The big monkey did it

Pandikar Amin Mulia -
There is nothing in the standing orders against chopping cherry trees, Kinabatangan duduk, Bukit Gelugor duduk.sit down.

Khairy Jamaluddin -
I did not do it, neither did the mat rempits. By the way, what's a cherry tree ?

Lim Kit Siang -
In response to Khairy - cherry tree also you don't know, you are an insult to Oxford.

Nazri Aziz -
racist, racist, racist, when we cut down durian trees nobody
made a fuss.

Malaysian Citizens -
oh for heaven's sake! Somebody plant something before we all starve to death.

Hahaha~! Unless u understand this, IM NOT TALKIN TO YOU! Hahahaha

Random English Facts. XD

Random English Facts. XD

Since we speak English everyday..here are some interesting facts about our beloved language..
p.s-make sure you read no.12


1. No word in the English language rhymes with month.

2. "Dreamt" is the only English word that ends in the letters "mt".

3. The word "set" has more definitions than any other word in the English language.

4. "Underground" is the only word in the English language that begins and ends with the letters "und."

5. The longest one-syllable word in the English language is "screeched."

6. There are only four words in the English language which end in"-dous": tremendous, horrendous, stupendous, and hazardous.

7. The longest word in the English language, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, is pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis.

8. The only other word with the same amount of letters is pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconioses, its plural.

9. There is a seven letter word in the English language that contains ten words without rearranging any of its letters, "therein": the, there, he, in, rein, her, here, here, ere, therein, herein.

10. No words in the English language rhyme with orange, silver or purple.

11. 'Stewardesses' is the longest word that is typed with only the left hand.

12. Guess what!!>>To "testify" was based on men in the Roman court swearing to a statement made by swearing on their testicles.

13. The combination "ough" can be pronounced in nine different ways. The following sentence contains them all: "A rough-coated, dough-faced, thoughtful ploughman strode through the streets of Scarborough; after falling into a slough, he coughed and hiccoughed."

14. The verb "cleave" is the only English word with two synonyms which are antonyms of each other: adhere and separate.

The only 15 letter word that can be spelled without repeating a letter is "uncopyrightable."