Safe Drinking Water: Fact and Fiction

WATER is the most important element in our day-to-day life. The quality of our life depends on it. Unfortunately what we get on our tap is less than perfect. As the world population booms and more people are dumping wastes into water channels, some of it inevitably ends up in our water supply. 


Is our daily consumed water safe to drink? What is in tap water?

Research shows 97% of our tap water comes from rivers, which are connected to drainage and sewage systems, therefore it is no surprise thousands of chemicals are found in water.

So what are the long term effects of consuming these polluted water? The list of illness may include cancers, blood contamination, and unhealthy cells, which slowly breaks down our vital organs, besides clogged heart and arteries.

Consider this. Scientist have found pesticides in water causing abnormalities to animals.

For example, a class of pollutants known as endocrine disruptors affects animals' natural hormones, causing male fishes to develop eggs in their sex organs, and male leopard frogs to develop eggs and ovaries.

Beluga Whales in Canada are reported to have a higher rate of cancer than usual, due to toxic chemicals discharged from rivers.

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Rubber Industry in Malaysia

Henry Nicholas Ridley - Father of the Rubber Industry

THE arrival of rubber in Malaya in 1877 - one of the original trees is still in the compound of the Kuala Kangsar District Office - did not immediately meet with great enthusiasm among the planters, who were quite happy growing coffee. The man largely responsible for making Malaysia the largest rubber-producing country in the world is Henry Nicholas Ridley (1855-1956).

His principal contribution was to develop what is still today the basic method for tapping the tree - the herring-bone method, which left V-shaped channels on the trunk, removing only a thin layer bark each time, thus permitting a smooth flow of latex and allowing the bark to regenerate. This was a great improvement on the method which was being used in Brazil and Malaya at the time, which involved slashing the tree or making holes, causing great damage to the cambial layer and consequently to the productivity and life of the tree.

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All-New Honda CR-Z - The Hot-Hatch Hybrid

SLEEK, aerodynamic and environmentally friendly, the all-new CR-Z hot-hatch hybrid combines a 6-speed manual gear box matched with Honda’s 1.5L i-VTEC+IMA Hybrid System to give you its best performance in any of its three drive modes: Sport, Normal or ECON.

Exterior Design & Aerodynamics

Stand back and admire the low bonnet, swept-back headlights and the wide angled windscreen designed for better panoramic field of vision. The stylish aerodynamic bullet design directs airflow to reduce drag and improve performance while lowering fuel consumption and carbon emissions.

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My Stupid Travel Tips - Top 10 Reasons Why You Should Not Travel

by Yazid Zul Kepli

1. HEALTH REASON

First of all, everyone is dying. It is just a matter of time. Deal with it. However, if you are dying in one week, perhaps your decision to spend the little time left with your family is not a bad idea. Perhaps. You will need to put everything in order. People will understand that. It is highly unlikely that you are dying in the near future due to terminal illness though. Most probably, even if you are not in your optimum condition physically, efforts can be made to travel if you wanted to. On the other hand, if your doctor strongly advises you against travelling, your doctor’s word of caution should not be taken lightly.

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The BrandLaureate Brand ICON Leadership Awards '11

By Gerald Chuah

OVER the years, awards have been given to brands and corporations, but seldom to leaders who are the driving force behind successful brands. The time has come to honour these illustrious leaders who are in a league of their own.

Asia Pacific Brands Foundation confers on them The BrandLaureate Brand Icon Leadership Awards 2011 to honour Malaysia's Icons who have successfully built their brands.

President of The BrandLaureate Dr KK Johan said: "There are many great leaders in the world today, but very few Icons. "Icons define and set the standards of excellence, are bold enough to take risks and change the course of things for the better. History has shown and proven that these individuals are extraordinary leaders, in a class of their own.

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Gateway to Malaysia : Best of Federal Territories - Three Places, Different Attractions

THIS is a tale of three cities - Kuala Lumpur, Labuan and Putrajaya. They are all in different parts of the country, but they have two things in common - same title and same birthday. Kuala Lumpur was the first to be declared as Federal Territory on Feb 1, 1972, followed by Labuan in 1982 and the youngest is Putrajaya in 2001. They are all brightly lit up at night and beautifully landscaped in many parts.

KUALA LUMPUR

THOUGH the Federal Government administration offices have been moved to her younger sister, Putrajaya, Kuala Lumpur, or KL as it's fondly referred to, will always have her place of prominence. KL is likely to be the most important city in Malaysia and an increasingly important international city for a long time to come.

GOING BACK TO OLD KL

Follow the city's heritage trail that will take you back to the very confluence of the two rivers - Gombak and Kelang - that gave KL its name.

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Got genius?

By Anushia Kandasivam

A GENIUS is a person that possesses an exceptional ability. This is usually intellectual ability, together with creativity, originality and insight. Nowadays, the most common indicator of genius is a person's IQ - the intelligence quotient, or measure of intellect. But a person may very well be a genius in her own right without possessing an astoundingly high IQ.

There is no precise definition of genius, though there have been many theories over the years of what a genius is. Some researchers believed sensory acuity and reaction time were a measure of neurophysical efficiency, some saw it as a genetic trait - a larger number of close kin with `eminent' qualities may predict a genius.

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