Save Malaysia Stop Lynas on upcoming 13th general election

Translations of this message from today’s Sin Chew Daily paper to English and Malay.

Thanks to Jason Tan and Chow-Gui for helping. Stop being a fool! Vote wisely for a greener, cleaner and better Malaysia.

Do you want to sacrifice the future of your children?

These are the children living near Asian Rare Earth in Bukit Merah, Perak. Lin Li-Jun, died of leukemia in 1991. Gao Bao-An, died of leukemia in 1992 as well. Hu Zhi-Hao, died of Brain Cancer in 1992. Zheng Wei-Cheng, died of leukemia in 2005, and Wang Zhi-Jian died of leukemia.

China is also paying the price for having rare earth plants in their country at Bao Tou, China’s Inner Mongolia. In ten years, 77 people have died of cancer and the place is being known as ‘Cancer Villages’.

Four days later you will decide on what future you want for you and your future generation and also decide on whether to have ‘Cancer Villages’ in Malaysia. Please take some time to analyze the issues below :-

• Even countries with large land areas like China, Japan, America and Australia does not want to have rare earth plants anymore, Malaysia which is much smaller compared to all the above countries is running the largest rare earth plant in the world. If you believe that having a rare earth plant in Malaysia is safe, then you are a FOOL!!

• Malaysians are not aware of the Lynas plant until it was exposed by the New York Times magazine in 2011. Ironically, the Lynas plant has already started to build since 2008 and if you ever believe there is transparency shown by the relevant government bodies, then you are a FOOL!!

• By the regulations under the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Basel Convention, of which Malaysia is one of the signatories, Lynas is prohibited from transporting its radioactive waste from Malaysia to another country. Our Health Minister, Liow Tiong Lai however stated that Lynas will export the radioactive waste from the rare earth production out of Malaysia. And if you still believe, then you are a FOOL!!

• Current government stated that they can recycle the waste from the production of rare earth without telling to you that only the non-radioactive waste can be recycled. They are misleading the public. If you still believe them, then you are a FOOL!!

• 30 years ago, the Perak state government agreed upon using our nation resources to keep 80,000 steel barrels of radioactive waste from the Bukit Merah rare earth plant, at the dump in Perak for 300 years. Now, Lynas’s plant in Kuantan is ten times or more larger than the Bukit Merah’s one, and is estimated to produce a million steel barrels of radioactive waste. If you think that the current government is thinking of your health then you are a BIG FOOL!!

If they are making a fool out of you and are taking you and your future generations’ health for a ride, what you should do?

Hi, I’m Tan Bun Teet and I am 65 years of age, a retired teacher and a grandfather. I do not have any political background. When I know that my beautiful homeland will host the largest rare earth plant in the world, my heart is broken and I felt of migrating to another country with my children and grandchildren.

In the end, I decided to stay on because I found there also many people here, have the same spirit to fight injustice till the end for our homeland.

SMSL (Save Malaysia, Stop Lynas) has never politicize this Kuantan’s rare earth plant issue. We have gone through all the proper channels provided by the current government, to appeal and complain but to no avail. We even brought up this matter to court with international expert on rare earth to stop Lynas operation in Malaysia but we failed.

In the end, the government just ignore us by telling us ‘ Lynas is safe’ . The license to operate a rare earth factory is issued to Lynas, and the rare earth material is secretly brought into our country.

Is the ‘rakyat didahulukan’ (people first) in this matter? Does the government really care for us?

Now we have been forced to use the last resort — a political approach into the rare earth plant.

So the coming 5th of May 2013, please use your power to vote! You can vote as a fool, OR vote for as a wise person!!

SMSL Chairperson
Tan Boon Teet

你忍心牺牲你的孩子吗？

这些都是30年前住在霹雳州红坭山稀土厂附近的小孩，林丽君，1991年死于血癌。高宝安，1992年死于血癌。胡志豪，1992年死于脑癌。郑伟成，2005年死于血癌。王志健，死于血癌。

中国也因为稀土提炼而付出代价，在内蒙古的包头， 10年间有 77 人死于癌症，已经成了着名的癌症村。

四天后，将是你决定人民未来的一刻，也是你决定马来西亚未来有没有癌症村的一刻。请花些时间思考下面的问题：

• 当地大如大陆、日本、美国和澳洲的国家都不敢再提炼稀土，而地小的马来西亚政府却建了一座全世界最大的稀土提炼厂，还说Lynas稀土厂是安全的。如果你相信的话，你就是笨蛋！！

• 当Lynas事件是美国一家杂志New York Times 在 2010年公佈后，我们马来西亚人民才惊觉原来在 2008年时 Gebeng已经开始偷偷的兴建一家全世界最大的稀土提炼厂。如果你还相信相关政府部门有透明度，你就是笨蛋！！

• 当马来西亚已经签了不能把辐射废料运输出国的国际公约（Basel Convention），而卫生部长廖中莱却说Lynas会把辐射废料运出国来敷衍我们。如果你相信的话，你就是笨蛋！！

• 当原任政府却告诉我们他们能够再循环稀土废料，他们却没告诉你能再循环的只是没有辐射的部份，他们是有意图的在误导人民。如果你相信的话，你就是笨蛋！！

• 当 30 年前的霹雳州政府签约用国家的钱来库存红坭山稀土厂的 8 万桶辐射废料 300年，而现在的 Lynas 稀土提炼厂比红坭山的还要大十倍以上，如果你认为一个以后要在马来西亚境内库存一百万桶辐射废料的政府是关心你的健康的话，你就是个大笨蛋！！

当人家当你是笨蛋，拿你和你家人的生命来做赌注时，你需要怎麽做？

你好，我是陈文德，我是一位65岁退休的老师和爷爷，没有任何政治背景。当我知道了我美丽的家乡中竟然隐藏了一座全世界最大的稀土厂时，我很心痛，有想过要和子孙们移民。但，最后我决定要留下来，因为我发现原来有一大群的伙伴也跟我一样，有跟不公奋斗到底的精神。

拯救大马委员会（SMSL）一直以来都没有政治化关丹稀土厂的事情，一直都用着原任政府所提供的管道来提呈诉求、示威，甚至也用了国外的权威稀土厂专家来在法庭上讼诉来阻止 Lynas稀土厂的运作。能够合法做的一切，我们都做了。

最后，原任政府只是告诉了我们一句「稀土厂，没问题。」然后就发了执照给 Lynas，还神不知，鬼不觉的就把稀土运到了马来西亚。

Rakyat 真的有 Didahulukan吗？他们真的在乎我们吗？

我们已经被逼得要走最后一条路 —— 要政治化稀土厂事件！

来临的 5 月 5 日，请善用你神圣的投票权！你可以投下笨蛋的一票，或者选择投下有智慧的一票！！

拯救大马委员会主席
陈文德 敬启

Adakah anda mahu mengorbankan anak-anak anda?

Ini adalah kanak-kanak yang tinggal berhampiran Asian Rare Earth di Bukit Merah, Perak. Lin Li-Jun, meninggal dunia akibat leukemia pada tahun 1991. Gao Bao-An, meninggal dunia akibat leukemia pada tahun 1992 juga. Hu Zhi-Hao, meninggal dunia akibat kanser otak pada tahun 1992. Zheng Wei-Cheng, meninggal dunia akibat leukemia pada tahun 2005, dan Wang Jian Zhi-meninggal dunia akibat leukemia.

Negara China juga telah dihukum dengan membina kilang nadir bumi di negara mereka di kawasan Bao Tou, China Inner Mongolia. Dalam sepuluh tahun, 77 orang telah meninggal dunia akibat kanser dan tempat itu dikenali sebagai ‘Kampung Kanser’.

Empat hari dari sekarang, anda akan membuat keputusan mengenai hala tuju dan masa depan untuk anda dan juga untuk anak buah anda. Adakah anda akan memilih untuk mempunyai ‘Kampung Kanser’ di Malaysia? Semua berada di tangan anda. Sila ambil masa untuk menganalisis isu-isu berikut: -

• Walaupun negara-negara dengan kawasan tanah yang besar seperti China, Jepun, Amerika, Australia tidak berani untuk mempunyai kilang-kilang nadir bumi lagi, Malaysia yang jauh lebih kecil berbanding dengan semua negara-negara di atas telah membenarkan pembinaan loji bumi nadir terbesar di dunia. Jika anda percaya bahawa dengan adanya sebuah kilang nadir bumi di Malaysia adalah selamat, maka anda adalah BODOH.

• Rakyat Malaysia tidak mengetahui kilang Lynas sehingga ia didedahkan oleh majalah New York Times pada tahun 2011. Ironinya, kilang Lynas telah pun bermula dibina sejak 2008 dan jika anda pernah percaya ada ketelusan yang ditunjukkan oleh badan-badan kerajaan yang berkaitan, maka anda adalah BODOH.

• Selain itu peraturan-peraturan di bawah Pertubuhan Bangsa-Bangsa Program Alam Sekitar (UNEP) Konvensyen Basel, di mana Malaysia adalah salah satu penandatangan, Lynas dilarang mengangkut sisa radioaktif ke negara lain. Menteri Kesihatan, Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai bagaimanapun menyatakan bahawa Lynas akan mengeksport sisa radioaktif daripada pengeluaran nadir bumi dari Malaysia. Dan jika anda masih percaya, maka anda adalah BODOH.

• Kerajaan sekarang menyatakan bahawa mereka boleh mengitar semula sisa daripada pengeluaran nadir bumi tanpa memberitahu kepada anda bahawa hanya sisa bukan radioaktif boleh dikitar semula. Mereka mengelirukan orang ramai. Jika anda masih percaya kepada mereka, maka anda adalah BODOH.

• 30 tahun lalu, kerajaan negeri Perak telah setuju untuk menggunakan wang negara kita untuk menyimpan 80,000 tong keluli sisa radioaktif dari loji Bukit Merah untuk 300 tahun di Perak. Sekarang, Lynas adalah sepuluh kali lebih besar daripada kilang nadir bumi di Bukit Merah, dan dijangka menghasilkan lebih daripada 1 juta tong keluli sisa radioaktif. Jika anda berfikir bahawa kerajaan sekarang adalah memikirkan kesihatan anda maka anda adalah seorang BODOH.

Jika mereka telah memperbodohkan anda dan juga mengambil anda dan kesihatan generasi masa depan anda dengan selamba, apa yang perlu anda lakukan?

Hi, saya Tan Bun Teet dan saya berumur 65 tahun, seorang guru bersara dan telah menjadi datuk. Saya tidak mempunyai apa-apa latar belakang politik. Apabila saya sedar bahawa tanah air yang indah saya akan menjadi tuan rumah kilang bumi nadir terbesar di dunia, hati saya lemah dan merasakan untuk berhijrah ke negara lain dengan anak-anak dan cucu-cucu saya. Akhirnya, saya memutuskan untuk kekal kerana saya dapati terdapat juga ramai orang di sini, mempunyai semangat yang sama untuk melawan ketidakadilan sehingga akhir untuk tanah air kita.

Jawatankuasa SMSL (Save Malaysia Stop Lynas) tidak pernah mempolitikkan isu kilang nadir bumi di Kuantan. Kami telah menggunakan semua saluran yang betul yang diberikan oleh kerajaan semasa, merayu dan mengadu tetapi usaha kami tidak berhasil. Kami juga membangkitkan perkara ini ke mahkamah dengan pakar antarabangsa mengenai nadir bumi untuk menghentikan operasi Lynas di Malaysia tetapi kami telah gagal.

Akhirnya, kerajaan telah mengabaikan kami dengan memberitahu kami ‘Lynas adalah selamat. Lesen bagi mengendalikan kilang nadir bumi dikeluarkan kepada Lynas, dan bahan-bahan nadir bumi telah dibawa masuk secara rahsia ke dalam negara kita.

Adakah ‘Rakyat Didahulukan’ dalam perkara ini? Adakah kerajaan benar-benar mengambil berat tentang kita?

Sekarang kita telah terpaksa menggunakan pilihan terakhir – satu pendekatan politik ke dalam loji nadir bumi.

Jadi pada 5 haribulan Mei 2013, sila gunakan kuasa anda untuk mengundi. Anda boleh mengundi seperti orang bodoh, atau mengundi sebagai orang yang bijak.

Pengerusi SMSL
Tan Bun Teet

Starving orangutan, Indonesian Borneo (image: IAR Indonesia)

Footage of starving orangutans in West Kalimantan on Indonesian Borneo shows the wanton destruction of the great ape’s dwindling habitat in the pursuit of wealth.

Despite being a member of the RSPO (Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil), Bumitama Gunajaya Agro violated the rules of the organization by depriving orangutans and other endangered species of their homes and food through deforestation. International Animal Rescue and conservation staff from the Indonesian government have already rescued four starving orangutans from the palm oil plantation. They will be moved to areas of forest with more food.

From a press release by International Animal Rescue (IAR):

We know that there are more orangutans isolated in small patches of forest in this plantation along with other protected wildlife such as proboscis monkeys. All the animals in this plantation are under threat and therefore this company should stop all land clearing immediately, carry out habitat assessments and develop strategies to protect all the endangered wildlife in their estate.

–Adi Irawan, Program Director, IAR Indonesia

Footage of the rescue operation shows the shocking condition of the starving orangutans.

In related news, conservation officials rescued two Sumatran orangutans in a village in Aceh. Many orangutans have been pushed out of their habitat in the Rawa Tripa peatland region of Aceh due to the construction of palm oil plantations.

From the Jakarta Globe:

Under such conditions, the orangutans can’t find sufficient amounts of food, so they starve to death. Sometimes, they are even murdered by locals or plantation workers.

–Ian Singleton, director, Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Program

Despite laws designed to protect the species, much of the struggle seems to depend on NGOs and volunteer conservationists. One such group is the Orangutan Project, founded by Australian Leif Cocks, who, together with local volunteers and other orangutan groups, patrols the jungles of Sumatra and Borneo in order to “deter wildlife poaching, illegal logging and land clearing in Indonesia”. This is a dangerous job and according to Cocks, a member of his team dies in the line of duty nearly every year. Read more on that story onnews.com.au.

The growth of palm oil plantations is largely fuelled by the biodiesel, food and cosmetic industries, owned by multinational corporations like Nestle and Unilever, who pump palm into every product they can.

Check out similar stories of starving and abused orangutans from Science Daily and theDaily Mail.

Orangutan family in Tanjung Puting National Park, Kalimantan, Borneo. (image: Russ Watkins (Flickr CC))

[source : http://asiancorrespondent.com/104391/indonesia-rescue-of-starving-orangutans-highlights-conservation-plight/]

wonderful world

At 8:30 p.m. today, people around the world will celebrate Earth Hour by turning off their lights for one hour in a symbolic show of support for the planet. Earth Hour brings awareness to climate change and symbolizes a commitment and concern for managing climate change. Started nine years ago, the movement now spans thousands of cities in countries around the globe.

Earth Hour raises awareness and provides a unique opportunity for collective action aimed at doing something positive for the environment. It is not just about saving energy for that one hour, but it symbolizes a concern for managing climate change and commitment to adopting environment-friendly practices and habits in everyday life.

So let us participate in the Earth Hour, not only to conserve energy but to raise awareness on the need to protect the environment.

Sharing some of the shots taken in year 2012. May all beings bEE happy.

lazy sunday lazy felix

monday blue

sharing love

hi there

balance

four out of ten

sweet saturday

utopia

coffee for rainy monday

cloudy tuesday

from the other side

little creature says morning

durian stall

network

welcome to melaka

sun bathing

状元认母

the beca-man

urbanization

red piano

lady cat

monday’s dream

chinese wooden clog

“grandpa, what’s that?”

klebang beach

friday raya holiday

selamat hari raya

dawn

jetty walk

Billy Ray Harris returns the diamond engagement ring to owner Sarah Darling. (image: KCTV5)

A homeless man who returned a diamond engagement ring to a woman who mistakenly dropped it into his donation cup when she was giving him some spare change now stands to be handsomely rewarded for his selfless act.

A fund set up on GiveForward.com for Billy Ray Harris, the man who was panhandling on the streets of Kansas City, Mo., earlier this month when he received the valuable donation in error, had gotten more than $146,000 in donations as of Monday evening.

“It is good to know honesty still exists despite one’s circumstances which Mr. Harris exemplifies!” wrote one poster, who donated $25. Another who gave $100 added: “People from all over the world salute.”

The donations – more than 6,000 of them in varying amounts – have come in from all over the United States, as well as from Germany, Sweden, Australia, Ireland and other countries. In addition to the congratulations and good wishes that they offered, some donors also urged that Harris receive help to manage the money that was earmarked for him.

Harris himself seemed to be bemused by the outpouring.

“What I actually feel like is, what has the world come to when a person returns something that don’t belong to them and all of this happens?” he said last week in an interview with KTNV-TV, an ABC News affiliate in Las Vegas.

When Harris saw the unintentional donation in his cup on Feb. 8, he kept it safe until its owner, Sarah Darling, returned to ask about it. Her wedding and engagement rings had reportedly been bothering her, so she removed them and put them into her purse, and that’s how they ended up in Harris’ cup, KCTV reported.

News of Harris’ act – and Darling’s gratitude – have spread. KTNV-TV reported that complete strangers have sought Harris out to congratulate him and give him food.

The fund was started 10 days ago by Darling’s husband, Bill Krejci. It will close in 80 days, at which time the money will be given directly to Harris, according to a note on the fund’s web page.

In a note that Krejci posted on the website on Feb. 23, he wrote that he had met with Harris and they had chatted.

This is the ring Sarah accidentally dropped into the coin cup. (image: news.com.au)

“We talked about a lot of things related to my family’s ring and the many donations. We talked about one day in the future the ring may one day be passed down to my daughter. We talked about how insanely positive all this has been. We talked about what he’s planning to do with the donations. The details would be better left for later but know that he has a very solid plan and a very solid way of making it happen,” Krejci wrote.

Another bit of good has apparently come out of Harris’ sudden fame. He and his sister have reconnected after having lost touch more than 20 years ago. She lives in Texas and has reportedly offered him a place to stay with her, KTVN reported. Harris is considering the offer.

[source : http://gma.yahoo.com/homeless-man-returns-diamond-ring-and-wins-big-180658337.html]

Chris Jordan’s photographs of bird carcass with stomach full of plastic.

Sharing a heart wrenching video I saw from the net. People need to realize what we do to our environment and take the appropriate steps to keep it clean, and in our current situation clean it up.

Do our beautiful earth a favor, start with each self by producing less garbage and manage our waste better. 

The MIDWAY film project is a powerful visual journey into the heart of an astonishingly symbolic environmental tragedy. On one of the remotest islands on our planet, tens of thousands of baby albatrosses lie dead on the ground, their bodies filled with plastic from the Pacific Garbage Patch. Returning to the island over several years, our team is witnessing the cycles of life and death of these birds as a multi-layered metaphor for our times. With photographer Chris Jordan as our guide, we walk through the fire of horror and grief, facing the immensity of this tragedy—and our own complicity—head on. And in this process, we find an unexpected route to a transformational experience of beauty, acceptance, and understanding.

We frame our story in the vividly gorgeous language of state-of-the-art high-definition digital cinematography, surrounded by millions of live birds in one of the world’s most beautiful natural sanctuaries. The viewer will experience stunning juxtapositions of beauty and horror, destruction and renewal, grief and joy, birth and death, coming out the other side with their heart broken open and their worldview shifted. Stepping outside the stylistic templates of traditional environmental or documentary films, MIDWAY will take viewers on a guided tour into the depths of their own spirits, delivering a profound message of reverence and love that is already reaching an audience of tens of millions of people around the world.

Production of the feature film “MIDWAY” continues through 2013.
Please go to midwayfilm.com for more information.

For more information:
MidwayFilm.com

To donate:
midwayfilm.com/donate.html

Midway Project blog, team details, production diary videos:
MidwayJourney.com

Facebook – behind the scenes photos, latest updates
Facebook.com/MidwayJourney

Twitter:
twitter.com/#!/midwayjourney

Youtube:
youtube.com/journeytomidway

Happy Chinese New Year 2013

Happy Chinese New Year 2013.

Wishing everyone a happy and prosperous Chinese New Year! May the year of snake bring love, joy, happiness and peace to everyonEE.

Gong Xi Fa Cai.

Alice Pyne (facebook photo)

We can learn a great deal from the all too short life of Cumbria’s exceptional Alice Pyne.

The question is, of course… will we?

A young girl, given dreadful diagnosis of a cancer that would almost certainly claim her life, had every right – at the age of 12 – to retreat into self-pity and dark gloom.

But she did precisely the opposite. Alice moved up a gear in the business of living, kept a smile on her face, vowed to relish every minute and worked to give strength to others similarly blighted by life-threatening conditions.

She listed all the fun experiences she wanted under her belt before death claimed her – ticked them off her bucket list happily, raised £100,000 for charity into the bargain and humbled the powerful, famous and influential with her instinctive, sunny kindness.

Alice was 17 when she died at the weekend. Her mum Vicky described her as having gained her angel wings. She had certainly earned them – probably without realising how richly she’d deserved them.

Thousands of tributes were paid to this youngster on her passing. People she had never known or met felt her loss and knew she had left behind an empty space few others could ever hope to fill.

And there is one of the lessons we, who grumble and complain so routinely and regularly we embrace pessimism as second nature, should be learning from Alice.

This special girl knew the true value of a smile. She accepted optimism as the friend that would see her cheerfully through life – however short – and death.

She has taught that it is not the length of days that matter but what we make of our days that counts.

For those of us who have been at a distance from Alice, watching in amazed admiration as she inspired quietly and intuitively to be better than we are, it’s hard to shed tears for the passing she knew she would face.

Her loss will be deeply painful for her family and friends, of course. But they must know they have been privileged to have been close to an exceptional young woman, gifted with immense wisdom.

For our part, if memory of Alice Pyne’s uncompromising philosophy of eternal sunshine can hold us back from carping and sniping, criticising others – falsely believing it makes us seem clever – we will have learned something life-changing from her short but enlightening time with us.

[source: http://www.newsandstar.co.uk/opinion/anne-pickles/alice-pyne-has-taught-us-all-how-to-live-1.1027563?referrerPath=learning_may_2_5657]

The unexpected hero, Cassandra Lin (image from www.theday.com)

Twelve-year old Cassandra Lin admires “the unexpected hero.” She loves the YouTube story about a young boy from Malawi who created windmills out of bicycle parts to generate electricity for his village.

“I think that was great,” Cassandra says. “Even though he never finished school, he built windmills. He learned on his own. Nobody expected a Malawian kid to generate electricity.”

And nobody expected a kid from Westerly, RI, to create an award-winning recycling program that generates fuel for the needy in her community. But that’s exactly what this sparkly, no-nonsense seventh grader has done.

To Cassandra, it’s all no big deal. It’s what she does with her friends after school.

The recycling program, called Project T.G.I.F. (Turn Grease into Fuel), encourages residents to bring their used cooking oil to the town transfer station to be recycled. There, a contractor picks it up, along with other grease from local restaurants that also donate oil to the program. A biodiesel company then processes it into biodiesel fuel. All of the team’s proceeds are donated to help heat the homes of needy people in Westerly. To make it work, Cassandra and a team of classmates educated themselves about the biodiesel refining process, made their own biodiesel by mixing cooking oil with methanol and lye with proper protection (“It was very safe, don’t worry,” she notes reassuringly), won two separate youth seed grants and convinced an array of community leaders to come on board with the project.

T.G.I.F. is an outgrowth of the Westerly Innovations Network (WIN), a student community service organization started by her father, Jason Lin, in 2002. And Cassandra is quick to credit her older brother, Alex, as a mentor in the project. Alex is a senior member of WIN and serves as the assistant coach to the group’s junior team. Like his sister, he has earned numerous accolades for his own service initiatives.

Cassandra explains, very carefully, how Alex motivates her: “I don’t want to just follow in my brother’s footsteps, but put my footsteps over his. I don’t want people to say, ‘Oh, you’re Alex’s sister.’ I want to make an impact. I want to be better than him, but in a different way.”

As it turns out, a little sibling rivalry has been good for Westerly.

Girl in action: Cassandra Lin – one part cooking oil, one part love (image from www.teenvoices.com)

The genesis of the T.G.I.F. project is a case study in creative pragmatism, as Cassandra explains it: “We looked at an array of problems to see what we could solve in our own community.” A few important strands came together: she learned about turning cooking oil into biodiesel when she attended the Rhode Island Green Expo in 2008; she knew her local community had a non-sustainable program to provide emergency heating for the needy; and, she heard that local restaurants and residents were pouring fats, oils and grease (FOG) down their drains and clogging up town sewage pipes.

Cassandra and her team puzzled over how to combine these problems to devise a solution. An article she found on Google about SF Greasecycle, a municipal effort in San Francisco to collect and recycle cooking oil, clinched the deal. “All of our problems kind of snowballed together,” she says.

That snowballing is no accident. The different pieces that coalesced to form T.G.I.F. were gathered in by a rare combination of forces: clear-sightedness, logic, and a splash of ingenuity.

Cassandra’s fearlessness lies at the center of these forces. Her mind is eager to apply itself to the world, and she does so with a cheerful, scintillating energy that would motivate the most confirmed nay-sayer.

Innovative people need to be encouraged, she says: “Their family should support them and not inhibit their imagination so that they can be as much as they can be.”

Not surprisingly, Cassandra says her parents have created a nurturing space for her by “cheering from the sidelines, giving good advice, pushing me farther.” She adds, “They also expose me to a lot of things. They always want me to learn something new. My dad gives me articles from Time magazine and the Wall Street Journal to read. We also travel a lot, so our eyes have been open to the world from a young age.”

Cassandra is also aware that her parents have placed limits on certain things, although the reasons are fuzzy.

“I don’t have a Facebook,” she says. “I want one, but my parents won’t let me. And we don’t have cable because my parents think that—. ” She considers for a moment. “I don’t know what they think. They just don’t think that cable is a good thing.”

The mysterious ban on television in the Lin household thankfully doesn’t extend to the Internet, where Cassandra says she gathers important ideas, such as how to make biodiesel.

“It’s really hard to believe that YouTube only started in 2005,” she reminisces. “I was seven. I never really used YouTube until I was like nine or ten.”

Reminded that she herself is on YouTube, speaking as a delegate to the Tunza International Youth Conference held in South Korea last year, she responds like the unexpected hero:

“Am I?”

[source : http://www.businessinnovationfactory.com/iss/innovators/cassandra-lin]

The civets are almost exclusively fed coffee berries, which they then excrete. This image was taken on a civet farm just outside Surabaya, Indonesia. (Photograph: guardian.co.uk)

Producers of kopi luwak coffee, the $150-plus-per-pound Indonesian coffee harvested from the excretions of cat-like palm civets, are now in the sights of animal rights groups that are alleging abuse.

A report from the UK’s Guardian says representatives of the magazine recently visited a coffee shop in Sumatra in which an adult female civet was kept in a small back-room cage and separated from her two young offspring, while many other cages with unknown contents were kept behind the building.

Here’s more from the Guardian:

Animal welfare groups contend that growing numbers of such civet “farms” are emerging across south-east Asia, confining tens of thousands of animals to live in tiny cages and force-fed a debilitating diet. The Asian palm civet is common, but conservationists claim that related species are sometimes used which are under threat of extinction. The binturong, another cat-like species that is sometimes used to produce Kopi Luwak, is classed by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s red list as “vulnerable”.

Animal rights issues aside, the increase in caged civets for coffee production could also be having a negative impact on Indonesia’s place in the specialty coffee market. According to a recent Jakarta Post report, the surge in worldwide demand for kopi luwak has resulted in an increase in “farmed” beans, with more than 60 percent of the 40 to 50 tons of the coffee produced annually coming from caged animals rather than wild animals.

“The condition of the luwak affects the taste and quality of the coffee. The caged luwak are often left starving and forced to digest both the unripe green berries and the finest ripe red ones,” Wirawan Tjahjadi, owner of the Bhineka Jaya coffee company in Indonesia, recently told the paper.

[source : http://dailycoffeenews.com/2012/11/26/caging-and-abuse-allegedly-increasing-in-kopi-luwak-production/]

Faithful: New research shows how a pair of Magellanic penguins were loyal to each other for 16 years

● Penguin couple stayed together for 16 years, smashing all previous records
● New research shows incredible loyalty in spite of the epic distances travelled by the bird

As the UK divorce rate continues to soar, a new study has today shown how marital harmony is thriving in the penguin world.

Research has revealed a pair of Magellanic penguins as among the most faithful in the animal kingdom.

The couple have remained loyal to each other over a 16-year period, in spite of spending thousands of miles apart during their winter trips.

Loyal: A pair of penguins can track each other down among hundreds of thousands of other birds using a distinctive call

The findings come after a 30-year study of the breed where researchers placed metal identity bands on the flippers of 50,000 birds on the southern coast of Argentina.

Previously penguin relationships were believed to span a maximum of just 10 years, with many cut short by the unexpected death of birds during migration.

Loving: A Magellanic penguin stays loyal to the same mate, in spite of long periods apart

‘Divorce’ is also a possibility as couples who fail to hatch chicks will split up and find new mates.

But according to The Sunday Telegraph, biologists have been surprised by the longevity of the relationship between a particular couple.

‘The bond they have is incredible really,’ lead researcher Dr Pablo Garcia Borboroglu, of the National Research Council of Argentina, told the newspaper.

‘It is unbelievable how far Magellanic penguins swim – and each breeding season they come back to the same nest and to the same partner.’

The research was revealed during a lecture to the Whitley Fund for Nature in London, and Dr Borboroglu will set out his findings in a book to be published next year called Penguins: Natural History and Conservation.

Magellanic penguins can only be found around the Falkland Islands and South America.
Argentina has the highest population, with 900,000 breeding pairs in Argentina, while there are 800,000 couples in Chile.

But their numbers have dropped dramatically since the turn of the century due to oil pollution and falling fish numbers and there are thought to be around 1.2 million left in the world.

Dr Borboroglu’s project also used satellite tracking to identify the movements of the birds, showing the enormous journeys they travel each winter to the warmer waters of Brazil.

Every year, the penguins arrive at their summer nests in the southern hemisphere and find their partners using a distinctive call.

After reuniting and mating, the female usually lay two eggs, which each partner takes turns guarding while the other goes out to sea.

After they hatch, the parents spend a month caring for their young before heading off to their wintering area.

The penguins join a roll call of other animals that undertake loyal relationships, including the albatross, French angelfish and black vultures.

Mates for life: In spite of long distance flights, albatrosses always return to breed with the same partners

Jealous: Like the Magellanic penguin, black vultures are strictly monogamous

[source : http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2234755/Magellanic-penguins-return-mate-solo-journeys-totalling-200-000-miles.html]

Seledang using its prosthetic leg at the Kuala Gandah National Elephant Conservation Centre in Temerloh yesterday. (Pic by Mohd Rafi Mamat)

TEMERLOH: A company’s kind act in providing a prosthetic limb for female elephant Seledang has enabled the animal to roam freely again within the gated area of the Kuala Gandah National Elephant Conservation Centre, here.

The 7-year-old’s left foreleg was severed at the ankle after it was caught in a wire mesh, here, a year ago. It was discovered by a plantation worker, who alerted the Department of Wildlife and National Parks (Perhilitan).

Head of Kuala Gandah National Elephant Conservation Centre Nasharudin Othman said they had fitted Seledang with a prosthetic leg but after more than a year, it was found to be unsuitable. He said Seledang’s leg had grown bigger and a more comfortable artificial limb was needed.

Nasharudin said the company, an international shoe manufacturer based in Kuala Lumpur, had offered the help as part of its corporate social responsibility programme. He said the company had helped Perhilitan save the cost of buying a new prosthetic leg, which cost more than RM20,000.

He said the company would examine Seledang’s prosthetic leg soon to make minor adjustments.

“After wearing the prosthetic leg for a few weeks, Seledang kept dislodging it as it was uncomfortable.

“The company said it would examine Seledang’s artificial leg to make the necessary changes.”

Nasharudin said it was the first time a local elephant had been fitted with a prosthetic leg as compared with Thailand and Myanmar, where the use of prosthetic legs among elephants was common because of accidents.

Seledang is one of 10 elephants, aged between 1 and 7, under the Kuala Gandah National Elephant Conservation Centre’s young elephant management programme, which is supported by Perhilitan. It is aimed at protecting animals that are separated from their herd.

“Sometimes, they are found stranded in forests or oil palm plantations in Pahang, Perak and Terengganu,” Nasharudin said.

Under the programme, the young elephants are fed twice a day and allowed to roam for three to four hours within the 1ha electric-gated area, under the close monitoring of Perhilitan staff.

When the animals reach the age of 4 or 5, they are released into the forests, either in groups or pairs.

“Since the Kuala Gandah centre was set up in 1985, we have released six adult elephants into Taman Negara’s forest reserve,” said Nasharudin. “This is important as it allows the animals to live in their natural habitat.”

[source : http://www.nst.com.my/nation/general/seledang-on-its-feet-again-1.163898]

Congratulation to Cindy and Chee-Seong!

The proposal, Chee Seong + Cindy

After nine years, Chee-Seong decided to take a big step forward in life with Cindy.

I know Chee Seong for years and he is always a caring and daring person. His first idea would be to propose in public, to give something unforgettable for Cindy. After hearing the good news from him, I was so happy and congratulated him. So I talked to Kenn-Wai and decided to give our support to Chee-Seong. The whole thing was but to keep it secret from Cindy.

After planning the surprise proposal, we invited their friends and family to gather at the concierge of Dataran Pahlawan Shopping Mall Melaka on last Saturday. And Cindy was otherwise didn’t know anything about this, but was only invited shop there with the sisters.

So the whole thing followed by Chee-Seong making a sudden appear on the stage with roses and singing a song of theirs when she was shopping at the concierge, just like what happened in the video. He gave her a really wonderful surprise, touched the heart of the bride-to-be and filled her eyes with tears.

And the answer was YES!

Congratulation to the lovely couple, Cindy and Chee-Seong. May the lovEE you share always continue to shine. As you look forward to all you’re dreaming of, may you be blessed with love and happiness forever!

Enjoy the video (watch HD version on Vimeo, or alternatively on YouTube) here as much as we do.

Have a lovely evening and may all beings bEE happy.

狗儿看到米伯走进范围內，都热情的趋近他。（图：星洲日报）

（吉打‧亚罗士打19日讯）无怨无悔照顾600只流浪猫狗，住在亚罗士打的马来夫妇米伯和哈丽查的爱心让动物也铭感於心，更上演义犬救主的感人情节。

米伯夫妇3年前目睹猫狗无人照顾，一路接收“领养＂，迄今，夫妇俩收养的猫狗已从数十只，增至逾400只狗和200只猫！

拉回岸上集体狂吠唤救人

米伯收养的猫狗，当中不少是患病的，太多猫狗要照顾，哈丽查曾因操劳过度，晕倒在河边。

庆幸的是，当时在场的狗只，竟齐心协力把她拉回岸上，让哈丽查免於溺水。

犬群过后更不寻常地集体狂吠，召唤米伯前来救妻。

这起义犬救主的美事让两夫妇津津乐道，也让无怨无悔为猫狗服务的两人备感安慰。

阿玆米（54岁，人称米伯）说，太太约5个月前，在为狗住所进行日常打理工作时，因太劳累头晕累倒河边。

哈丽查（64岁，人称为丹姐）回忆说，她当时想爬起来，但有心无力，所幸狗儿发现后群起救她，否则河水水位若提昇，就可能被淹死了。

米伯说，他听到狗儿狂吠，走过去看个究竟，才知道太太出事了。

他补充，自己过去15年患有哮喘病，须用气雾剂，近三四年忙於照顾猫狗，已忘了哮喘和气雾剂这回事；这或是他爱护並照顾小动物而来的福气。

这只狗走路时只能用两只前腿，后腿则是交叉並拖着走。（图：星洲日报）

流浪狗受伤被虐
都收留照顾

早在1990年，住在花园民宅的米伯和家人，看到无家可归、经常挨饿的流浪狗，心里萌起了怜悯之心，总在晚上邻人没留意时，煮东西给这些流浪狗吃。

因为怜悯之心，米伯开始接触狗只；约3年前，米伯和太太搬到区內一河岸旁，並將常餵食的逾30只狗一块带来，同行的还有约40只猫。

阿玆米和太太原本主要收养患病、生疥癣或残障的狗只，此外每次看到在外流浪、受伤、被虐或被车撞倒的狗只时，都会带回来照顾。

后来演变到公眾自行將猫狗带来让两人收留。

米伯说，他並非富有人，全职照顾狗並不是为了要出名，纯粹出於对狗的怜悯和爱心。

他强调，他的目的並非让狗儿繁殖，而是照顾受伤、残障的狗儿。

义工们忙着搬下檳州K9 Pets有限公司赞助的一些狗粮来移交给米伯。（图：星洲日报）

热心人纷提供狗食
不赞同猫狗安乐死

阿玆米说，他和太太清早就將狗粮分给狗做早餐，下午时分就到附近餐饮店討鸡骨，再和米煮成狗儿的食物。

他感谢免费提供鸡脚和鸡头的小贩、赞助23只狗儿结扎手术费用的人士、免费提供药品的兽医诊所医生、赞助米粮和款项的热心人士等。

米伯受SOS询问时，不赞同让猫狗安乐死，相反的希望政府理性解决问题，如將狗儿送往收留中心並结扎。

他认为，若每人都愿意收养狗只，就能轻易解决流浪狗问题。

米伯说，目前该收留地並没有水电供应，若能获资源来安装水电供应，將让中心更好运作。

“唐氏症狗＂
包纸尿布

其中一只名叫Kechik（意即“小＂）的狗包上纸尿布，丹姐说牠是“唐氏症狗＂（Down Syndrom），头斜斜，走起路来也稍微歪斜，吃喝需要他们逐口餵。

还有一只是过去曾被车撞、没获適当照料而残缺，走路时只用两只前腿，后腿交叉並拖著走，以及另一只瘫痪而行动不便的狗。

米伯说，患上疥癣和生病的猫狗、患皮肤癌的猫等，都被安置在他们住的货仓旁，和其他猫狗隔离照顾，其余则分散在两个围栏內。

左图：丹姐说，这只狗的智力些许受损。右图：岑爱玲手上抱着包上纸尿片的唐氏症狗。（图：星洲日报）

SOS到访带来狗粮
促政府“停止杀，开始结扎＂

这对夫妇和猫狗的故事，引起相关组织关注。

檳城拯救流浪狗联盟（Save Our Strays简称SOS）发言人岑爱玲和多名义工德薇、马哈斯瓦仁、凯特霖、米雪、峇拉和苏峇希妮一行人昨日探访米伯夫妇俩。

岑爱玲呼吁政府在流浪狗课题上，採取“停止杀，开始结扎＂的方式。

她说，米伯是她看过收养最多狗的穆斯林，希望能借此鼓励穆斯林养狗，因为马来同胞若能养狗，流浪狗的问题就已解决一半。

她和义工们也为米伯带来了由檳州K9Pets有限公司赞助的其中四十多包狗粮。

她说，SOS会研討给予米伯其他援助，並继续和米伯密切合作。

她呼吁要为米伯提供协助和支持的人士，可联络她（012-4708308）。

星洲日报记者在场採访时，適巧来了一位华裔女子林慧毅（28岁），她说，她通过面子书发现米伯收留狗时难以置信，亲自来查看后终於相信，因此有空就会到访，看能给予米伯和丹姐甚么协助。

米伯准备把狗粮盛在盘子，一些狗已在旁“预备＂要用餐。（图：星洲日报）

“穆斯林摸狗没罪＂
虐狗吃狗肉才是罪恶

针对穆斯林对狗的避忌，阿玆米认为穆斯林触摸狗、养狗、照顾生病的狗並没罪；若虐待狗、吃狗肉，那才是真的罪恶。

他强调，不管在乾或湿的情况下触摸狗，重点是在祈祷之前，必须用泥水或河水来清洗，就没被禁止了。

他本身曾对太太说，假若一天自己被狗咬死，也不要把狗杀掉，因为狗儿若真如此做，一定有其原因，何况狗儿並不像人类般拥有思考能力。

“我们应该尊重生命，就算是一只狗的生命也应被尊重，不应受鄙视。＂针对並非所有人能接受狗时，阿玆米认为，穆斯林最重要的是勿教导孩子怨恨狗，因为狗也是一条生命。

[source : http://www.sinchew.com.my/node/265353?tid=1]

中国连云港市天使家园幼儿园开展认识粮食活动，通过对各种粮食的辨认，培养孩子们爱惜粮食的意识，迎接10月16日世界粮食日的到来。图为江苏省连云港市天使家园幼儿园的小朋友在课堂上学习辨识五穀杂粮。（图：新华社）

世界正面临粮食短缺危机，庆幸的是大马人仍过著丰衣足食的生活。正因如此，大马人严重缺乏对粮食危机的醒觉意识。

据统计，大马人每天丟弃约1千500万公斤的食物残渣，其中的10至15%是还可食用或被浪费的食物，等於丟掉300至450辆罗里的食物。

这里不缺蔬果鱼肉，食物供应充足，粮食短缺对我们来说似乎是非常遥远的事。

然而，粮食危机是有连锁效应的，它牵一发而动全身，对全世界影响，危机离我们並不远。

10月16日是世界粮食日，今年的主题是“农业合作社：养活世界的关键＂（Agricultural Cooperatives : Key to Feeding The World）。

配合世界粮食日，我们来探討饥饿与粮食荒和我们有甚么关係。

汤礼聪：全世界正面临粮食短缺危机，但大马民丝毫未曾察觉其严重性。（图：星洲日报）

畜牧业是粮荒罪魁祸首之一
汤礼聪：鼓励吃素救地球

绿色生活协会（Green Living Society）主席汤礼聪说，在极端的天气条件下，全球暖化、气候转变，全世界正面临粮食短缺危机，但本地人丝毫未曾察觉其严重性。

他指出，人类一年吃掉4千亿只动物，世界人口不断增长，基於人类的需要，畜牧业不断扩大。而大部份的种植品，如玉米和大豆都用来餵养动物。因此，畜牧业是世界粮食危机的主要的罪魁祸首之一。

“为了紓缓粮食短缺问题，人类必须减少肉类消耗。联合国也鼓励人们吃素食拯救地球。＂

马每4儿童一人超重

汤礼聪指出，全世界每隔5秒就有人死於饥荒，其中75%是儿童。而在东南亚国家中，大马最多孩子有肥胖的问题。

根据马来西亚肥胖儿童儿科工作小组研究的调查显示，大马每4名儿童就有一人超重或肥胖。

“全世界有三分之一的人足够温饱，有三分之一的人食物不足，剩余的三分之一人口处於挨饿状况。

“大马人被归为首个部份（足够温饱），他们的健康问题都与食物有关，但非並挨饿，而是营养过剩、肥胖问题。＂

从小没养成珍惜食物习惯

“新生代的肥胖问题源自於父母纵容孩子吃垃圾食物多过日常正餐。这导致孩子们在用正餐时，吃不下而浪费不少食物。父母允许孩子浪费食物，並没有教育他们，因此孩子们从小就没有养成珍惜食物的习惯。

他说，大马人在舒服的环境太久，从未经歷严重的环境灾难或粮食危机，所以在这方面的意识相当低。

他补充，年长者因曾体验艰难的生活，比较懂得珍惜食物。到了年轻一代，生活条件提高了，人们的购买能力也相渐提高，往往毫无节制地消费，特別是年轻人和小孩子对食物不懂得感恩，从未意识到浪费食物的问题，这种情况令人感到担忧。

反对以木薯製塑胶袋

他指出，除了浪费食物造成全球粮食荒恶化，有些市场上的產品是以食物为原料，如木薯製成午餐盒、以淀粉製成塑胶袋，这些產品叫做“可分解物＂。

他非常反对这类產品，他说，这些生產商完全面向业务，也不瞭解整个世界粮食危机的情况。世界上很多人正在挨饿，但他们用食物来生產日用品，而且市场上仍有一部份人在使用，確没意识到这些產品的存在，无形中对饥饿者造成“迫害＂。

“生產商解释说，他们使用原料是第三级的木薯，不能食用。我的问题是：一些非洲国家的小孩饿得只能吃树叶和泥土，那么难道第三级的木薯不可以吃吗？＂

每年扔掉75万吨好食物

从事废弃物管理的汤礼聪指出，我国每一天產生约3万吨的垃圾，一年则有1千万吨，当中50%是食物浪费，意即每年產生500万吨食物浪费。

他把食物浪费分为4类：

1：厨余，在准备食物前，淘汰的菜头菜尾和果皮等。

2：食物的残渣，这些剩余的食物已不能再食用，如骨头、鱼头、海鲜蚌壳类、水果种子外壳等。

3：消耗不完的食物，可能因挑食、不珍惜食物或点过多食物消耗不完，而扔掉质量良好，但还能被食用的食物。

4：没好好策划而过期的食物，购买者因没好好策划食用时间，以致错过食物的赏味期限而被迫丟掉。

汤礼聪指出，第一类和第二类的食物浪费是无可避免的，无论如何，这些食物浪费都是我们造成的。

“不过，第三和第四类的食物浪费是可以避免的。从我的研究，大约有10至15%的食物浪费属於第三和第四类。这也意味著马来西亚人每年扔掉或浪费约50万至75万吨的好食物。＂

他补充，传统佳节或民俗习惯造成更多不必要的食物浪费，比如说主人家可能因为面子问题，不愿减少订食物，视桌上食物的多寡为招待宾客週到与否。

宴会30%好食物弃垃圾桶

“你可否想像一个活动结束后，如宴会，有多少的食物被丟弃？从我的研究中显示，宴会上有30%的食物最后將倒入垃圾桶，而且皆是100%好的食物。＂

汤礼聪认为，自助餐比一桌10人的宴席对环境更友善。无论如何，最近几年宴会上的食物浪费已有所改善，他观察到食物的数量已从原本的9道减至8至7道。

他鼓励宾客在宴会上打包吃不完的食物，很多人因为不好意思而没有这么做。他建议主人家通知宾客打包剩余的食物，如果主人家鼓励他们这么做，相信许多宾客愿意这么做，这可减少婚宴上的食物浪费。

“食物浪费是温室气体的排放原因之一，进而引起全球暖化和气候转变。此外，所有浪费的食物都被送到处置场所，而食物的腐化过程会產生沼气和二氧化碳，对环境有害，因此减少浪费食物绝对有必要。＂

珍惜食物醒觉仍低
浪费习惯根深蒂固

汤礼聪说，为了提高人们珍惜食物的醒觉，他每次在座谈会时，尝试播放影片或照片，让出席者瞭解有很多人因没有食物而饥饿的情况。

“很多人看了很感动，並且后悔过去浪费食物的行为。然而过了不久，他们又故態復萌。这是非常不幸的，浪费几乎成了人们根深蒂固的习惯，並非一朝一夕能纠正过来。＂

他补充，从他的调查所得，除了居住环境有厨余和食物浪费，酒店、餐馆、小贩中心、食物加工厂及巴剎也有不少，然而这些单位都没有好好处理厨余的问题。

汤礼聪指出，有些酒店把处理厨余视为社会责任，但在大马並不普遍。

林德来：在婚宴上大马华人展现节制的美德，一些宾客会要求把桌上剩下的食物打包回家。（图：星洲日报）

林德来：节制美德减少浪费
鼓励打包婚宴剩余食物

雪隆姑苏慎忠行餐饮业公会总会长林德来受访时认同，国內饮业者对粮食危机的意识普遍不高，不过根据他的观察，华人量人而点菜，不过份舖张。

他说，大马餐馆的厨余一般是“菜头菜尾＂，在清洗蔬菜过程中，就丟掉腐烂、不新鲜的部份。这些都是不可食用的，至於厨余量多量少，视个別餐馆的使用蔬菜量而定。

“过去我曾到中国，当地人以｀客人吃剩菜才有面子，吃完则没面子’，因此单单冷菜近10道，热食又有逾10道，太多佳肴美食难以消受。＂

林德来指出，相对之下，在婚宴上，本地华人展现节制的美德，一些宾客会要求把桌上剩下的食物打包回家，这种“打包＂习惯是值得鼓励的，不应浪费食物。

他说，宴会上，一般只有至8至10道菜，相当符合一桌人的食量。一个人的食量毕竟是有限的，太多肯定吃不完。

联合国粮食
及农业组织的资料显示

过去50年，人类对肉食的需求激增了500%，为满足增长，全球越来越多农地被用作种植牲畜饲料，中南美洲便有66%的热带雨林因而消失。

●每生產一公斤牛肉，需要16公斤穀物以及1万5千公升食水。单是美国一年餵饲牲畜用的穀物，便能餵饱13亿人口。

●大马人每天丟弃约1千500万公斤的食物残渣，其中的10%至15%是还可食用或被浪费的食物，等於丟掉300至450罗里的食物。

关於全球饥饿：

●全球粮食生產足以让每一个人吃饱，但全球有超过十亿人吃不饱，即是每7个人当中，便有1人挨饿。

●60%饥饿人口是女性，但她们亦是全球粮食生產的重要生力军。

●每年，有大约30万名孕妇因营养不良（缺乏铁质），在分娩时因出血过多而死亡。

●同时间，全球有1亿2千万人有肥胖问题。

关於儿童饥饿：

●每5秒，就有一个儿童死於饥饿或相关疾病；每4个饥饿人口中，就有一个是儿童。

●在发展中国家，60%的儿童死於饥饿，每4个儿童，就有一个体重过轻。

●经济学家指出，长期陷於饥饿会窒碍儿童身心发展，长大后的生计或收入比平均人口低5至10%。

关於饥饿人口：

●约75%来自农村或乡郊地区，25%来自城市。

●10亿饥饿人口中，65%来自以下7个国家，即印度、中国、刚果民主共和国、孟加拉、印尼、巴基斯坦和埃塞俄比亚

[source : http://www.sinchew.com.my/node/264896?tid=67]

A lovely evening with little boy Wen-Ze and little girl Wen-Er

Spending a day with little boy Wen-Ze and little girl Wen-Er can be so much fun yet challenging. They were cute and active and both siblings kept winding each other.

We went to a hill in Tampin with both Wen-Ze and Wen-Er, and mom Tracy, letting them playing and running joyfully on the grass and capture joyful and spontaneous shots of them while having fun, more of a documentary than a portrait.

Thanks to Kenn-Wai and Iu-Lung for assisting and we had a great evening with the family. Kind of missing them now and looking forward for another photography session with them again.

Sharing some photos captured. Have a nice day and may all beings bEE happy.