New Straits Times articles from October 2011

New Straits Times archives from October 2011

App-solutely scary!
October 31, 2011... Byline: Izwan Ismail THERE are many ways to celebrate Halloween. IZWAN ISMAIL suggests you get into the Halloween spirit with these iPhone and Android apps. 1. Costume Ideas - Halloween No idea what to wear for the occasion? Download...

Safe to drink in 48 seconds.
October 31, 2011... Byline: Edwin Kee THE SteriPEN Freedom (www.steripen.com/content16464) is said to be the smallest, lightest and first rechargeable UV water purifier in the market. It can disinfect up to 500ml water in 48 seconds, thanks to a germicidal UV...

Malaysia's Top 10 Fastest Rising Searches on Google - Week: Oct 21-27.
October 31, 2011... 1. MUAMMAR Gaddafi The 42-year reign of the Libyan leader came to a bloody end when he was captured and killed in his hometown of Sirte. 2. Himpun Some 5,000 people attended the rally in Shah Alam to highlight the concerns of Muslims over the...

Sounds really good.
October 31, 2011... Byline: Edwin Kee THE Sony Ericsson With Walkman, the latest Android offering from the Japanese outfit is great for music lovers, writes EDWIN KEE. WHEN it comes to smartphones, Sony Ericsson's range of Android-powered devices, while...

Power of mobile Internet.
October 31, 2011... Byline: Izwan Ismail WITH the Internet tsunami extended to mobile, smartphones users are now foregoing television, writes IZWAN ISMAIL. MOVE aside TV. The smartphone is taking over. According to a recent study by Google and IPSOS Research,...

In love and at war.
October 31, 2011... Byline: Rozana Sani A COUPLE who own an indie gaming firm, tell ROZANA SANI more about their labour of love. IT is 3am. In the living room of their home in Petaling Jaya, husband and wife Sherman Chin and Tiffany Lim are hunched over a...

Shoot 'em with lasers.
October 31, 2011... Byline: Izwan Ismail CHECK out this hi-tech version of paintball which uses laser technology instead, writes IZWAN ISMAIL. GALACTIC Lasers in Mid Valley Megamall was turned into a battle zone recently. The occasion was Halloween Laser Tag...

End PPSMI debate (HL).
October 31, 2011... Byline: Roy Goh; Ling Poh Lean KUALA LUMPUR: Even as two national bodies called yesterday for an end to the debate on the medium of instruction for Science and Mathematics, the most vocal advocate for the "flexible approach" proceeded with...

Commonwealth embraces Malaysia's moderation approach.
October 31, 2011... Byline: Nuraina Samad COMMONWEALTH leaders at the end of their meeting yesterday agreed to embrace Malaysia's initiative for the Global Movement of the Moderates, and welcomed Malaysia's offer to host CHOGM 2019. Prime Minister Datuk Seri...

Rousing welcome for Najib at barbecue party.
October 31, 2011... A LARGE multiracial crowd of Malaysians and their friends, young and old, gathered under the warm sunny spring sky at the popular Burswood Park yesterday for the arrival of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and his wife, Datin Seri Rosmah...

Unity vital, Barisan parties told.
October 31, 2011... Byline: Kristy Inus SANDAKAN: Don't make matters worse by making statements that could cause further friction within the Barisan Nasional, warned BN deputy chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Mohd Yassin yesterday. "Even though there are problems...

Let's drink to Suraya's creation.
October 31, 2011... KUALA LUMPUR: A 16-year-old who made a floral dress from 4,000 used tea bags and cups won a top prize at the Green Awards 2011 yesterday. Suraya Mohd Zairin's "Blossom in the Meadow" was named the best sustainable fashion design at a ceremony...

Clean rivers start with markets.
October 31, 2011... Byline: Aisyah Sulaiman KUALA LUMPUR: The cleaning up of rivers for the city's River of Life (RoL) project will start with the building of wastewater treatment plants at wet market sites in Chow Kit, Pudu, Sentul, Selayang and Air Panas next...

Pakatan has itself to blame for registration woes.
October 31, 2011... Byline: Syed Umar Ariff PAKATAN Rakyat, which is still run by a pro-tem committee, can be amusing, given its conundrum in registering itself as a political front. It is a headache among its rank-and-file members, who have yet to understand...

PBS: Barisan can count on us.
October 31, 2011... Byline: Roy Goh; Kristy Inus; Avila Geraldine PENAMPANG: New challenges and the ever-changing political landscape in the country will not steer Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) away from its struggle as a member of the Barisan Nasional. In...

Pas rapped for 'politicising hudud'.
October 31, 2011... KOTA BARU: Kelantan Umno liaison chief Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed yesterday chided the Pas-led state government for politicising hudud to gain votes in the next general election. He said this was evident when it recently announced the...

Bigger voice for Dayaks in SUPP.
October 31, 2011... Byline: Lian Cheng Dayaks in the Sarawak United Peoples' Party are clamouring for a bigger role ahead of the December party elections, writes LIAN CHENG THAT Dayak assemblymen from the Sarawak United Peoples' Party (SUPP) outnumber their...

Karpal: Hudud will lead to lawlessness.
October 31, 2011... GEORGE TOWN: The implementation of hudud will only lead to "lawlessness" in the country, DAP national chairman Karpal Singh said. He said hudud would trigger more criminal cases because of the requirements on evidence. For example, the...

Don't contest, Gerakan veep tells leaders.
October 31, 2011... Byline: Phuah Ken Lin; Michael Murty; Eunice Au GEORGE TOWN: Gerakan will have to field young and winnable candidates to win at least one Penang seat in the next general election. Party vice-president Datuk Seri Chia Kwang Chye, without...

Honing skills for a better life.
October 31, 2011... Byline: Carisma Kapoor; Eunice Au Despite numerous controversies surrounding motivational camps in the country, several of them have proven to be effective in meeting their objectives. CARISMA KAPOOR and EUNICE AU speak to three camp...

Tourist can't get enough of Terengganu hot spring.
October 31, 2011... BESUT: French tourist Gilberte Jean-Marie Flammier, 66, is glad that she came to Terengganu after braving the floods in Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand. The retired teacher was not sure where to go to after wading in knee-deep floodwaters in...

Water for flood victims.
October 31, 2011... Byline: Adib Povera HAT YAI : Do everything possible to lessen the burden of Thailand's flood victims. That is the call from Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak to all non-governmental organisations and volunteer groups. "I am very...

Gerakan backs probe into marine binoculars.
October 31, 2011... KUALA LUMPUR: Gerakan supports the government's move to address the shortcomings and irregularities highlighted in the Auditor-General's Report 2010. Its president, Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon, said yesterday the report demonstrated the...

'Freedom of info bill lacks clarity'.
October 31, 2011... Byline: Lee Keng Fatt GEORGE TOWN: The DAP-led Penang government must show its sincerity regarding the freedom of information by providing for public scrutiny when it tables the second reading of the bill at the state assembly on Friday. ...

Zero effluent from iron ore firm.
October 31, 2011... Byline: M. Hamzah Jamaludin Iron-ore mining and processing activities have always been associated with pollution but a company in Sri Jaya, near Maran in Pahang, has managed to change the negative perception when it adopted an environmental-...

Tunisian renaissance.
October 31, 2011... BY any measure, the election in Tunisia has been a success. More than 90 per cent of the 4.5 million registered voters in this country of 10.4 million people cast their ballots. This is an indicator of the level of civic consciousness as well as...

Instead of colonisers, property firms now invade Delhi.
October 31, 2011... Byline: Mahendra Ved ON Dec 11, New Delhi will complete a century's existence. Not a great landmark in a country of ancient cities and city-states. Although present-day urbanisation is no patch on that hoary past, India's capital has a few...

Wives in top jobs while hubbies stay at home.
October 31, 2011... Byline: Raja Iskandar Raja Mohd I REFER to the front-page report "University gender gap" (NST, Sept 18). It reported that new students checking in at universities that week showed a bigger gender imbalance than the current national average...

Forefathers made move to switch language.
October 31, 2011... Byline: Liong Kam Chong SUPPORTERS of the teaching of Science and Mathematics in English and the call for a "must-pass in English" are accused by some of being Anglophiles who came from English-speaking families and, therefore, do not...

RM2b corn import shock.
October 31, 2011... Byline: Tai Hean Kiat MANY foreign agricultural experts are impressed with Malaysia's favourable climate, absence of natural disasters and abundance of rich soil and river system. But they are dumbfounded by the fact that this country...

Private bus firms will thrive.
October 31, 2011... Byline: Y.S. Chan SINCE Oct 15, something new and bizarre has been taking place in Jalan Tun Tan Siew Sin, Kuala Lumpur. A government-linked bus company is operating the Cheras route from the bus stand at Sinar Kota, which has long been...

Roof insulation can reduce power wastage.
October 31, 2011... Byline: Bulbir Singh BRITISH Prime Minister David Cameron recently advised people how to reduce their energy costs in light of escalating energy prices. He said they should insulate buildings. This advice is equally important in Malaysia....

Blessings for those who aid poor.
October 31, 2011... Byline: Rueben Dudley IN Malaysia, given our multiethnic and multicultural society, the festive season is celebrated almost the whole year round. Consequently, we enjoy more public holidays than most countries. Hari Raya and Deepavali have...

SPM papers in English and Malay?
October 31, 2011... Byline: Lee Cheng Poh IN 2009, when the deputy prime minister announced the abolition of the the Teaching of Science and Mathematics in English (PPSMI) policy, he also said the new policy would not affect students who had been taught the two...

Calling '73 CHIJ Malacca girls.
October 31, 2011... Byline: Veronica Retnam SCHOOL is a place of great stress for some students today. It was a different experience for those of us in the 1960s and 1970s. It was a period when we had fun - there was no tuition and we had extra-curricular...

'Regulate sale of corrosive substances'.
October 31, 2011... KUALA LUMPUR: The sale of corrosive substances should be regulated to prevent further acid attacks, Malaysia Crime Prevention Foundation president Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye said yesterday. The government, he said, should regulate it as rampant...

Poly grads to get jobs sooner.
October 31, 2011... Byline: G. Surach SHAH ALAM: By 2015, at least 85 per cent of polytechnic students will get jobs within six months of graduating, said Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin. This would be achieved under the Polytechnic...

Passport for pets move to be expanded.
October 31, 2011... Byline: Sean Augustin PUTRAJAYA: The pet passport programme currently implemented in a few cities to curb animal abuse will be expanded nationwide next year. Veterinary Services Department director-general Datuk Dr Abdul Aziz Jamaluddin...

The sweet truth on going cocoa.
October 31, 2011... Byline: Sharifah Mahsinah Abdullah JELI: More farmers in the state have joined the "cocoa for the people" programme initiated by the Malaysian Cocoa Board as the crop offers many advantages. At present, the Jeli district has the highest...

Wen Qi better after ops.
October 31, 2011... Byline: Teresa Yong KUALA LUMPUR: It took Tan Lian Choo a year before she decided to bring her daughter, Wong Wen Qi, to see the doctor who confirmed her back problem. Tan, 46, a housewife, said she noticed that Wong had an abnormal back...

Conflience wins Memorial Trophy.
October 31, 2011... Byline: Go-Ram CONFLIENCE put up a great performance to capture the RM80,000 Dato' Sir Clough Thuraisingham Memorial Trophy for Class 3 horses over 1400m (Race 7) on the final day of the Selangor Turf Club's (SLTC) October meeting in Kuala...

Successive wins by Hafizh.
October 31, 2011... HAFIZH Syahrin Abdullah chalked up back-to-back victories in Round 8 of the Petronas AAM Malaysian Cub Prix at Hang Jebat Stadium, Malacca yesterday. Despite starting third in the grid, the Petronas Syntium Moto Yamaha Raceline rider rode...

Malaysia earn two Olympic tickets.
October 31, 2011... Byline: Arnaz M. Khairul TWO Malaysian cyclists will make history when they line up alongside the world's best for the start of the Olympic road race in London next year. For the first time, Malaysia has managed to break into the Olympic...

Support grows for Monsoon Cup.
October 31, 2011... Byline: Zainuddin Muhammad SUPPORT is coming thick and fast for the proposed Malaysian Match Racing Circuit (MMRC) next year. Four-time World Match Racing Tour (WMRT) champion Datuk Peter Gilmour has given the thumbs up, Terengganu Youth...

Azlan and Ong clash in opening round.
October 31, 2011... Byline: Devinder Singh NOT for the first time, Azlan Iskandar and Ong Beng Hee will play each other with plenty at stake when they meet in the first round of the World Open in Rotterdam today. The luck of the draw pitted two of Malaysia's...

Bo strikes gold at Mines.
October 31, 2011... Byline: Devinder Singh HAVING briefly given up golf, Bo Van Pelt is surely thanking his lucky stars he returned to the game after hitting his biggest payday when he romped to a six-stroke victory in the CIMB Asia Pacific Classic yesterday. ...

Palmer the only ace in the pack.
October 31, 2011... RYAN Palmer hit the only hole-in-one of the week at the CIMB Asia Pacific Classic yesterday as he shot a four-under 67 to finish joint-seventh. The American aced the e 210 yard par-three seventh hole, using a six-iron for his first...

Eight juniors for PGA Tour Academy.
October 31, 2011... EIGHT junior golfers from the region will go for a training stint conducted by the PGA Tour Academy at TPC Sawgrass in Florida in December. The juniors, four boys and four girls from Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand, are under the...

Boost for Thai Kiradech.
October 31, 2011... THAILAND'S Kiradech Aphibarnrat ended his week on a high, carding a six-under 65 featuring seven birdies to finish joint-20th at the CIMB Asia Pacific Classic yesterday. The burly Kiradech stumbled with a bogey on the par-five 11th hole but...

Above par performance.
October 31, 2011... Byline: Devinder Singh THERE were no fireworks from Danny Chia in the final round yesterday but plenty of determination and grit enabled the Malaysian to finish a respectable joint-13th at the CIMB Asia Pacific Classic. The 39-year-old...

Azraai works his magic.
October 31, 2011... Byline: Ajitpal Singh IT was a night to remember at the Shah Alam Stadium on Saturday as Negri Sembilan regained their Malaysia Cup title in dramatic fashion by scoring late goals in the last 10 minutes of the final to edge Terengganu 2-1. ...

Ticket controversy didn't stop fans.
October 31, 2011... THE increase of ticket prices did not affect the attendance at Saturday's Malaysia Cup final as all 80,000 seats at the Shah Alam Stadium were taken up. The FA of Malaysia's (FAM) decision to introduce a flat rate of RM50 per ticket initially...

Nelson and Co face final Korean hurdle.
October 31, 2011... NELSON Heg Wei Keat-Teo Ee Yi clinched the winning point to earn Malaysia, the top seeds, a 3-0 victory over hosts Taiwan and a spot in the final of the mixed team event at the World Junior Championships yesterday. Wei Keat-Ee Yi were made to...

Chong Wei in seventh heaven.
October 31, 2011... Byline: Ajitpal Singh LEE Chong Wei bagged his seventh international title of the year when he won the French Open in Paris yesterday. After a patchy first game, the World No 1 ended Japan's World No 13 Kenichi Tago's gallant run in the...

Kim Swee willing to take risks.
October 31, 2011... National U-23 coach Ong Kim Swee may pick players with minor injuries for his 20-man squad for the Sea Games in Jakarta. Those in the crock list are defender Amer Saidin, midfielder Gary Steven Robbat and strikers Wan Zack Haikal Wan Noor and...

No english option (HL).
October 30, 2011... Byline: Eileen Ng KUALA LUMPUR: The government yesterday put a lid on calls to allow some schools to teach Science and Mathematics in English, with Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin saying that "the policy has been decided and should be respected". ...

Giving life safely.
October 30, 2011... BIRTHING - bringing another child into the world - is perhaps the most sacred and miraculous of all human physiological functions and life experiences. But it is not a miracle that does not come with risks to the mother's own life, and the...

Outcome-based funding for ministries, agencies.
October 30, 2011... Byline: S. Ista Kyra IPOH: The amount of funding allocated to ministries and government agencies in the 2013 Budget will be measured by their performance next year. Second Finance Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Husni Hanadzlah said ministries...

Click for assistance.
October 30, 2011... Byline: Sharifah Arfah Associate Professor Lee Lay Wah tells SHARIFAH ARFAH why ePKhas, an online repository of teaching resources for special needs instruction, is a boon to educators ROZITA Mohamed Kamaruddin, who teaches Mathematics to...

Morning perks.
October 30, 2011... Byline: Meera Murugesan; Su Aziz Just what do people do to get started in the morning and what inspires them to get through the day on a breezy note? MEERA MURUGESAN and SU AZIZ find out START the day on the right note and you will most...

Commitment to key reform.
October 30, 2011... Byline: Nuraina Samad COMMONWEALTH leaders yesterday agreed to "accept the principles" of a key reform proposal for the establishment of a commissioner for human rights, the rule of law and democracy, Datuk Seri Najib Razak said. The prime...

Disrupting the status quo.
October 30, 2011... Byline: James Campbell "Now innovation is disrupting the status quo." -- Clayton M. Christensen and Henry J. Eyring, The Innovative University: Changing the DNA of Higher Education from the Inside Out, Jossey Bass (2011) DISCUSSING how...

Spare some thought for them.
October 30, 2011... Byline: Juneita Johari RECENTLY, my friend Rosalind told me of her visit to an old folks home in Kuala Lumpur. She is deeply moved by the residents for many reasons, but mainly because they have been abandoned by their children. A typical...

Game for more.
October 30, 2011... Byline: Satiman Jamin; Sulaiman Jaafar Milo Play More Learn More camp goes to the east coast to treat schoolchildren to a morning of games. Parents tell SATIMAN JAMIN and SULAIMAN JAAFAR it's a great outing for their kids UNITED in their view...

Page to submit letter of appeal to Najib.
October 30, 2011... KUALA LUMPUR: The Parent Action Group for Education (Page) plans to submit a letter of appeal to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak tomorrow, calling for the government to reconsider its decision to abolish the teaching of Science and...

KPJ gears up to care for the elderly.
October 30, 2011... MALAYSIA's ageing population will soon become a major challenge to the health system as the country becomes a developed nation by 2020. Citing a research report in the Asia Pacific Family Medicine, by 2020 the percentage of those 60 years and...

Doing the right thing.
October 30, 2011... Byline: Zaid Mohamad AS we go about our daily lives, I am sure there are times when our beliefs, principles and good intentions are questioned by others. When we try to do the right thing, there may be someone who is not happy about it,...

UniRazak delighted to help shape country's next innovators.
October 30, 2011... UNIVERSITI Tun Abdul Razak held its 11th convocation ceremony at Putrajaya International Convention Centre on Oct 22. There were 2,148 graduates ranging from the diploma, bachelor, master's and doctorate levels receiving their scrolls,...

All to inspire her daughter.
October 30, 2011... Byline: Zuhaila Sedek Faizah Mustopa tells ZUHAILA SEDEK why she's taking the Nestle Omega Plus 30 Days Cholesterol Challenge SINGLE parent Faizah Mustopa not only help out in many non-government organisations but she also participates in...

Wide variety of foundation courses at MSU.
October 30, 2011... SEVERAL interesting choices of disciplines await Foundation students at MSU. These disciplines are offered after taking into account the one year duration that will be spent and the student's state of preparedness before they begin the first...

Mara starts probe into purchases at inflated prices.
October 30, 2011... PUTRAJAYA: Majlis Amanah Rakyat (Mara) has set up a committee to investigate the purchase of items for training courses at double their prices, as highlighted in the Auditor-General's Report 2010. Deputy Rural and Regional Development...

Buck up and sort out flaws, Kemas told.
October 30, 2011... KOTA KINABALU: Rural and Regional Development Minister Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal has told the Community Development Department (Kemas) to buck up. He said his name was on the line whenever there were any flaws in the system as had been...

To measure the immeasurable.
October 30, 2011... Byline: Tessie Lim WHEN doing something important or worthwhile, wouldn't you like to know from time to time how well you're doing? Don't you feel compelled to know whether you're ahead or otherwise, in terms of skill and potential? Not...

'Don't wait for MACC, act against culprits now'.
October 30, 2011... Byline: Masami Mustaza KUALA LUMPUR: Government agencies must take their own initiative and act against officers involved in the irregularities highlighted in the Auditor-General's Report 2010. Transparency International Malaysia deputy...

Pursue popular MBA programmes at SEGi.
October 30, 2011... SEGi Education Group (SEGi) has been providing the Master's of Business Administration programmes in Malaysia for the past decade and has produced a long list of postgraduates who have gone on to succeed in the world of business. MBA...

Slow, steady progress.
October 30, 2011... Byline: Lucien De Guise WITH the opening of the latest Artexpo Malaysia last Thursday, Kuala Lumpur continues to plod along at an even pace in the global art marathon. Malaysia may not be a capital of culture yet, but at least it has not...

Navies rescue hijacked tanker.
October 30, 2011... Byline: M. Hamzah Jamaludin KUANTAN: A Malaysian tanker carrying RM12 million worth of petroleum and gas was rescued from hijackers on Thursday morning, thanks to a joint operation between the Malaysian and Indonesian enforcement agencies. ...

Envoy: Enough food in Bangkok.
October 30, 2011... Byline: Ling Poh Lean KUALA LUMPUR: Most Malaysians on vacation and business trips in Bangkok have left the city, said the Malaysian ambassador to Thailand. Datuk Nazirah Hussain said the embassy record shows that only eight Malaysians on...

Present, and optimistic.
October 30, 2011... Byline: Rachel Jenagaratnam Two emerging artists tell RACHEL JENAGARATNAM what it's like to have followed their hearts TODAY'S younger artists are luckier than their predecessors. Commercial galleries are always on the hunt for the next...

AUCMS thrives on its flexibility.
October 30, 2011... Byline: Phuah Ken Lin FLEXIBILITY is the hallmark of top-notch medical programmes at Allianze University College of Medical Science (AUCMS) and its latest own medical programme (MD) starting this month promises to produce home-grown doctors...

Woodlands move a drain on KTMB.
October 30, 2011... Byline: Sim Bak Heng JOHOR BARU: The shifting of KTM Berhad's railway operations to Woodlands in July following the closure of the Tanjung Pagar railway station has taken its toll on the revenue of the rail company. Checks showed the...

AUCMS offers loans and scholarships.
October 30, 2011... Byline: Melissa Darlyne Chow ALLIANZE University College of Medical Sciences (AUCMS) new five-year medical programme (MD) ensures its students are well-rounded and ready to face the working world. AUCMS not only provides excellent medical...

DIY mums: No doctors, please!
October 30, 2011... Byline: Tan Choe Choe A group of women is shunning hospitals and modern medicine in favour of giving birth at home, unassisted. What drives them? TAN CHOE CHOE chats with five women who braved childbirth without expert medical help CRANKING...

The medium and the message.
October 30, 2011... Byline: U-En Ng "IT'S easy enough for a playwright to write for the screen but it's very, very difficult to go the other way around," said a screenwriter friend when I tried to persuade him to write for the stage. Of course there are a...