16 October 2011

Ways to Go GREEN at Home

Being environmentally-friendly is just good economics – in our home and budget, and with the earth God gave us.

There are many little things we can do in our homes to play a small part in reducing landfill waste, cleaning the air, and preserving the natural landscape.  But we double our efforts when we get our kids involved, helping them understand the why to our what.

When they get it, it’ll be second nature to them when they’re adults – and that much easier to pass it down to their children.
  1. Plant an herb garden.  It’s good to have a reminder around of where our food originates.
  2. Switch all your lightbulbs to CFLs (or at least switch a few).
  3. Create a homemade compost bin
  4. Switch one appliance to an energy efficient model (look for the “energy star” label).
  5. Stop using disposable bags – order some reusable bags, or make your own. 
  6. Buy an inexpensive reusable water bottle, and stop buying plastic disposable bottles. 
  7. Wash laundry in cold water instead of hot.
  8. Turn off lights when you leave the room.
  9. Don’t turn on lights at all for as long as you can — open your curtains and enjoy natural light.
  10. Drive the speed limit, and combine all your errands for the week in one trip.
  11. Better yet, walk or ride a bike to your errands that are two miles or closer.
  12. Support your local economy and shop at your farmer’s market.
  13. Turn off your computer completely at night.
  14. Research whether you can sign up for green power from your utility company.
  15. Pay as many bills as possible online.
  16. Put a stop to unsolicited mail — sign up to opt out of pre-screened credit card offers.  While you’re at it, go ahead and make sure you’re on the “do not call” list, just to make your life more peaceful.
  17. Reuse scrap paper.  Print on two sides, or let your kids color on the back side of used paper.
  18. Conduct a quick energy audit of your home.
  19. Subscribe to good eco-friendly blogs.  (The Daily Green, TreeHugger, and Keeper of the Home Simple Organic)
  20. Before buying anything new, first check your local Second Hand Goods Shop.
  21. Support local restaurants that use food derived less than 100 miles away, and learn more about the benefits of eating locally.
  22. Fix leaky faucets.
  23. Make your own household cleaners.
  24. Line dry your laundry.
  25. Watch The Story of Stuff with your kids, and talk about the impact your household trash has on our landfills.
  26. Learn with your kids about another country or culture, expanding your knowledge to other sides of the world.
  27. Lower the temperature on your hot water heater.
  28. Unplug unused chargers and appliances.
  29. Repurpose something – turn one of your well-worn t-shirts into basic play pants for your baby.  Or save egg cartons for paint wells, seed starters, treasure boxes, or a myriad of other crafts.
  30. Collect rainwater, and use it to water your houseplants and garden.
  31. Switch to cloth diapers – or at least do a combination with disposables.
  32. Switch to shade-grown coffee with the “Fair Trade” label.
  33. Use a Diva Cup for your monthly cycles.
  34. Use cloth instead of paper to clean your kitchen. Be frugal, and make these rags out of old towels and t-shirts.
  35. Use cloth napkins daily instead of paper.
  36. Read Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, and open your eyes to the way conventional food is processed.
  37. Repurpose glass jars as leftover containers and bulk storage, especially in the kitchen.
  38. Five-minute showers – make it a goal for yourself.
  39. Donate to – and shop at – thrift stores such as Goodwill.  You’ll be recycling perfectly usable items, and you’ll be supporting your local economy.
ORIGINAL POST

Top Numbers

206 million Gallons of oil that leaked into the Gulf of Mexico as a result of BP's Deepwater Horizon spill

The oil leak that seemed as if it would never end was finally plugged in July after three months of gushing, but not before almost 5 million bbl. of oil spilled into the Gulf. What began as an April drilling-rig explosion turned into weeks of environmental anxiety. After multiple attempts at blocking the leak, the wellhead was capped on July 15. In the end, it was the worst accidental spill in the history of the petroleum industry. The leak put an estimated 53,000 gal. of oil a day into the Gulf, and BP's estimated costs for the cleanup and compensation now sit at $40 billion.
466,743 Number of classified documents from the Iraq and Afghan wars released by WikiLeaks.org

With the founding of WikiLeaks.org, Julian Assange became a whistle-blower for the digital age. Previously, those wanting to unveil government secrets often had to go through the established media of the day (think Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers). But WikiLeaks has allowed Assange, along with virtually anybody else who gets his hands on classified material, to publish such files online for all to see. The biggest and most controversial release of documents came with the publication of the war logs from the Afghan and Iraq wars, which covered everything from Iraqi-prisoner abuse to Pakistan's dual role in Afghanistan to Iranian influence in the region. But that was before WikiLeaks released 251,287 secret U.S. State Department cables dealing with virtually every foreign policy hot spot around the world, leading some to allege that the documents dump weakened U.S. diplomacy. On Dec. 7, Assange was arrested by British police for alleged sex offenses, but he argues that the charges have been manufactured just to get him behind bars, where he can no longer release leaked materials.
1,951 Number of programs related to health care televised by C-SPAN

The debate over health care reform dominated Washington for much of 2009 and continued into 2010. President Obama endlessly pushed for reform on the stump, on the Hill, in press briefings and even in a bipartisan health care summit. Likewise, the House and Senate debated the bill incessantly. And C-SPAN, the congressional TV station of record, was there to cover it all. Over the course of the debate, the network televised 266 hours of House proceedings (committee and floor hearings) and 475 hours of debate in the Senate. Although reform had looked dead at the beginning of the year, the Democratic leadership in both houses cobbled together enough votes for passage. In the end, President Obama more or less got what he wanted — an overhaul of the nation's health care system. But the victory cost the President and the Democratic Party politically in the 2010 midterms, as criticism of the bill helped put Republicans back in power in the House. The reform bill is now being challenged at almost every level of government, from governor's mansions to state houses to federal courts. Whether we'll see the same amount of C-SPAN programming next year regarding the repeal of health care reform has yet to be determined.
$16.36 Amount, per affected person, donated to Pakistan following July's floods, its worst in recent memory; $1087.33 per person was donated to Haiti following this year's earthquake

The images from Haiti's earthquake resonated around the world, triggering an outpouring of money and goodwill. But Pakistan's disastrous floods did not elicit the same feelings. Perhaps it's the country's history of supporting terrorism, its alleged harboring of Osama bin Laden, or its remote location in South Asia. But whatever the reason, donors hesitated to give the kinds of money it gave to Haiti. At one point an estimated one-fifth of the Pakistani population was under water. Flying over the scene of wrecked homes and mudslides, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he had never seen anything like it. An estimated 1,600 people died.

A few weeks after the floods, donors gave a little more than $16 per affected person to displaced Pakistanis. As the crisis developed, however, the international community began to contribute a bit more. Still, the aid gap was significant. According to the United Nations, in the first three months after each disaster, donors gave Haiti $996.72 per affected person while giving $96.80 per person to Pakistan.
2% Percentage of rubble that had been cleared from the earthquake in Haiti eight months after it had struck

The most devastated country in the Western hemisphere could not have had a more devastating year. The earthquake that struck in January destroyed a nation that had very little infrastructure to begin with, toppling schools, crushing roads and even ruining its presidential palace. The catastrophe led to a November outbreak of cholera that claimed more than 2,100 people and triggered protests by Haitians who accused the United Nations of bringing the disease inside their borders. But even with the world focused on the half-island nation for much of the first part of the year, aid organizations were still overwhelmed and much of the rubble from the quake still sits on Haiti's streets.
US$140 million Amount California Republican gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman personally spent on her campaign

It was the costliest campaign in the history of U.S. elections. And it failed. Former eBay chairman Meg Whitman used $140 million of her own money in an attempt to become governor of California, surpassing the previous mark of $108 million set by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg in his victorious 2009 re-election campaign. But Whitman came up short, losing to Jerry Brown in November. The revelation that she had employed an illegal immigrant as a housekeeper while attempting to portray herself as tough on immigration certainly didn't help.
US$1,424.50 Price per ounce of gold on Oct. 14, an all-time record

Economic anxiety often pushes people to invest in commodities they believe to be more stable than traditional stocks or retirement funds. When the economic crisis turned into a global downturn in 2009 and remained one in 2010, many who feared a mix of everything from inflation to deflation to plunging currencies looked to gold for protection. Those fears, driven home by the likes of Fox News' Glenn Beck (who is a spokesman for Goldline) pushed the metal to its highest ever price per ounce on Oct. 14. Adjusted for inflation, gold is still not as pricey as it was in the early 1980s. But the depth of the crisis showed itself in the clamor for the commodity; when the world's major economies inevitably get back on their feet, the buying of gold will almost surely wane.
US$2.7 billion Amount Avatar earned worldwide at the box office

James Cameron literally reinvented the way Hollywood makes movies in late 2009 when he released Avatar, a film more than a decade in the making. Just as important, he changed the way we watch movies. The stunning visuals of his 3-D extravaganza mesmerized moviegoers and raked in close to $3 billion worldwide. The film was nominated for nine Academy Awards, including Best Picture. It also unleashed an endless number of 3-D movies (some stunning, though the ones not actually filmed in 3-D were often disappointing) and stirred interest in the possibilities of three-dimensional viewing at home. Avatar now holds the U.S. and global box-office records, having surpassed Cameron's Titanic.
US$75,000 Annual household income needed to make a person in the U.S. "happy"

Can we buy happiness? According to a study released this year, yes, we can, and it costs $75,000. The study, by economist Angus Deaton and psychologist and Nobel Prize winner Daniel Kahneman, analyzed Gallup surveys of Americans regarding their day-to-day contentment (basically, how you're feeling about your day) and overall life assessment (a deeper satisfaction with where your life's headed). It showed that $75,000 is the magic annual salary. But any earnings beyond that, according to the study's authors, have no effect on well-being.
193% Percentage increase in e-book sales from 2009 to 2010

Print has reigned for centuries. But the end of this decade may prove to be the beginning of an era for digital books. With the emergence of Amazon's Kindle in 2007, e-books have taken off, most notably in 2010. The Kindle spurred a number of rival platforms, as well as the iPad, and e-books now account for almost 10% of U.S. consumer book sales, according to the Association of American Publishers. The shift from print to e-ink has forced large book chain Barnes & Noble to not only shut a number of stores but also release its own reader, the Nook. The e-book revolution, it seems, has only

12 October 2011

Tee Keat did not sack Chua

Jackson Ng
3:40PM Oct 11   


I read with interest the two letters posted by Malaysiakini recently.

One was headlined ‘Ong Tee Keat's flagging fortunes his own doing' (Oct 4, 2011, by Tan SA) and the other ‘A case of blind loyalty for present MCA leaders' (Oct 7, 2011, by Sebastian Loon).

Tan SA wrote: "Had Tee Keat not sacked Chua, MCA politics would be totally different now. It was Tee Keat's own doing to start a full-fledged campaign to sack Chua, the then-deputy president ..."

It was not Tee Keat who sacked Chua. It was the party disciplinary board (DB) that recommended Chua's sacking which was endorsed by both the presidential council (PC) and central committee (CC).

To accuse Tee Keat of sacking Chua, just because he was the president, is grossly unfair as it was a democratic decision taken by the PC and CC.

The ultimate ouster of Tee Keat as president is testimony to the fact that he was not in full control of the PC and CC.

Also, the disciplinary matter was left unresolved by former president Ong Ka Ting. It was not an issue created or raised by Tee Keat.

Tan SA also wrote: "During Tee Keat's tenure as MCA chief many unprecedented records were set. He was the first-ever president to lose a vote of confidence in an EGM. He was also the first president to lose a re-election before his term expired. Furthermore, he set a record by holding two EGMs in a span of six months between October 2009 and March 2010. All in all, he left behind a trail of misfortune and misery for MCA."

Tan SA blames Tee Keat for everything that went wrong in MCA. He does not ask who are stirred up the problems in the party.

The facts:

    It was not Tee Keat who initiated or called for the EGMs; The first EGM on Aug 10, 2009, was requisitioned by the delegates spearheaded by Chua to salvage him from being sacked. Ong Ka Ting left the mess behind and he and his lieutenants wanted to give Chua the boot;
    The second EGM on Nov 28, 2009, was aborted by Ong Ka Ting's loyalists who initially wanted to give Tee Keat the boot; and
    The third EGM on March 28, 2010, was engineered by Chua who secured ‘support' from Liow Tiong Lai to betray Tee Keat and to stage a coup d'etat via mass resignations to force fresh party elections sanctioned by Umno cronies looking after their own interests and agenda, especially the Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) multi-billion-ringgit financial scandal.

Reading Tan SA's letter, the aim of the story seems to imply that when a person has lost a contest, in this case the presidency of the MCA, he has no right to speak but to opt out of MCA or politics.

Chua has also accused Tee Keat of sacking him. As the current president, he should check the facts or is it more politically convenient for him and his cronies to malign Tee Keat?

I agree with Sebastian Loon that both Chua and Tee Keat are, after all, human and they are therefore capable of many mistakes and wrong decisions.

However, it is the gravity of mistakes that matter. Is there any leader in the world that can claim that he or she did not make mistakes?

Regarding Chua's adulterous scandal, it is only his own doing. If his wife and family approve of his extra marital affairs, it is also their right. It only shows Chua and his family's level of morals.

Just because he has admitted to cheating on his wife does not give him the right to force us to accept him as a community leader.

The Chinese community do have higher moral values than Chua and his family. We have every right to condemn him and not trust him as a community leader. That is different from forgiving him.

I am sure the majority of women disapprove such behaviour. Perhaps not MCA vice-president Ng Yen Yen who would support an adulterer for political position and power.

As far as I am concerned, Tee Keat has been shown to be consistent in the fight against corruption. He was prepared to jeopardise his position in the cabinet to expose the PKFZ scandal.

Already, you can see how Chua's crony MCA secretary-general Kong Cho Ha is treating the PKFZ issue as transport minister.

And while on cronyism, why are MCA central leaders keeping mum on Chua appointing his son to key positions in MCA and its assets?

Why are they dumb on curbing press freedom by seizing total control of The Star? Cronyism was such a big issue during the Ong Ka Ting-Ong Ka Chuan era. Why not now?

As long as Chua keeps his crony supporters happy, the president can do no wrong. That's the way of warlords.

ORIGINAL POSTING MalaysiaKini

01 October 2011

MCA gung-ho only when it comes to talking, says Tee Keat

Saturday, 01 October 2011 08:42 
Written by Malaysia Chronicle 
 
The MCA is on the path to irrelevance, its former president Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat said this week ahead of the party’s annual gathering this weekend.

He said the Barisan Nasional (BN) component has not heeded the push for reform that saw the party lose 25 of the 40 federal and 59 of the 90 state seats it contested in Election 2008.“MCA is still stuck in the mindset of being gung-ho with statements instead of delivering good governance. It is parroting old polemic rather than delivering reforms asked for by voters.

“If MCA continues on this same old path and psyche, then it is certainly headed for irrelevance. Some have bluntly said we are already irrelevant,” said Ong, who was deposed as MCA boss by Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek in a fractious power struggle 18 months ago.

The Pandan MP cited, as examples of “empty platitudes,” his successor’s threats to quit BN if Umno implemented hudud and to resign from the Cabinet and other government posts if the party does not improve in a general election expected soon.
“I don’t see how his threats can lift the party from its doldrums,” he said.

The party holds what is likely to be its final general assembly this weekend before federal polls are called.

But despite having three presidents in as many years, the MCA has seen Chinese support continue to shrink in by-elections.

Some analyses state that the Tenang polls held earlier this year saw just 18 per cent of Chinese voting for BN.

Datuk Seri Najib Razak has begun taking over the charge for Chinese votes, spending last weekend dishing out RM15 million to Chinese schools and exempting a Community Chest project headed by Chinese tycoons from tax to help it channel RM100 million a year into vernacular education.

“Najib as BN chief is spearheading initiatives to win Chinese votes, triggering the question of ‘where is MCA?’ from the public,” Ong said.

He said the MCA could not shirk its responsibility as part of government despite Umno’s seniority in the ruling coalition.

“How are they justifying their position as minister? Chinese want a level playing field. Ministers must get rid of cronies and monopolies,” he said.

Ong cited his 26-month tenure as transport minister where he opened the probe on the RM12.5 billion Port Klang Free Zone scandal even though senior officers told him it was a closed case.

“I put aside considerations of whether or not it would implicate Tun Dr Ling Liong Sik or Tan Sri Chan Kong Choy,” he said of the former MCA president and deputy who were Ong’s predecessors as transport minister.

“I was more concerned about how the party had been linked to that debacle which was a key factor in the March 2008 tsunami,” he added, referring to the BN’s landmark loss of its customary two-thirds majority in Parliament and five state governments.

But, he said, the reforms he tried to implement in the party and in the Transport Ministry, now headed by MCA secretary-general Datuk Seri Kong Cho Ha, “all went down the drain” after he was ousted.

He also said he tried to caution Datuk Seri Ng Yen Yen whose tourism projects such as the RM1.8 million spent on developing six Facebook tourism campaigns have been repeatedly questioned.

“Taxpayers have every reason to ask, how can you justify your presence in that portfolio?” he said of the tourism minister, who was also criticised last year when Parliament revealed that she slashed her tourism promotional budget but increased spending on her official trips abroad.

Ng also came under fire after Tourism Malaysia’s former advertising agency alleged that the ministry had asked for bribes in exchange for a promotion contract.

“I admit that I failed to convince the party to change its mindset,” he said of his 18 months in charge of the MCA.