We’ve been talking a lot about earth matters and little ways where we can make a big impact on the environment by changing our lifestyle and being more selective about the things we consume and what we throw away. But amidst all the politics and science, and all the big numbers being thrown about, it’s hard to see how all this can come together. So, we’ve been scouring the Internet looking for videos of actual success stories in the hopes that it will inspire all of us to increase our efforts. Read the rest of this entry »

As soon as you or your child gets a cut, one of the first things anyone does is reach for the plaster and some medicines to disinfect the wound. However, most people generally don’t think very much about treatments to speed up the recovery process although this becomes even more significant after surgery to ensure that your wound heals itself quickly and without leaving an unsightly scar.

The most common treatments that are used for small cuts are hydrogen peroxide or iodine that are used to disinfect the wound. These are both very aggressive chemicals and although they remove some of the dead cells and prevent your wound from getting infected, they also kill some of the healthy cells and can slow down the healing process over time. Instead of using these aggressive chemicals, why not consider some of the following treatments to treat your wound and make sure you don’t end up with an ugly scar? Read the rest of this entry »

Throughout these blogs, we’ve been trawling the Web looking for interesting ideas by other people and providing you with our own comments and insights. Well, now’s your turn to share some of your creative ideas with the rest of the readers! You never know, you may not think your idea is a good one but you might be pleasantly surprised – a recent quote we’ve heard, which we quite like, goes something like, “Many failures are because they never realized just how close they were to success.”

To help get your creative juices flowing, let us share with you some of the really great ideas we think which could change the world: Read the rest of this entry »

The World Health Organization has, in the second week of June, finally declared the H1N1 influenza virus outbreak as a global pandemic, the first truly global influenza pandemic to be declared in 41 years. It truly does sound like scary stuff, but it’s also important that we know what this really means to ensure that we don’t panic unnecessarily.

The most important thing to note is that the WHO’s declaration of a global influenza pandemic is purely related to the spread and the reach of the virus. In this case, the decision was made because the virus was showing signs of spreading independently throughout countries and continents that weren’t involved in the original outbreak (Mexico and the United States). In other words, any containment methods are going to be practically impossible and it’s no longer a regional problem that can be solved by restricting or monitoring travel to and from a particular country. Read the rest of this entry »

Recently, it has been announced in the newspapers (see this article in The Star) that the El Nino phenomenon is making its way to Malaysia once again and that hotter and drier spells for the country lie ahead, especially in the warmer months in the middle of the year. Those readers amongst you who might not keep a closer eye on weather phenomena might be forgiven for forgetting about this phenomenon because the last time a severe El Nino event happened was over a decade ago in the late 90s.

Although we know such a phenomenon occurs, scientists are still unclear about the forces that create the El Nino phenomenon, the frequency at which they occur and even why some years are particularly severe than the others. However, it is known that the phenomenon is caused when the oceanic currents deviate from their usual pattern and cause a rise in surface temperatures in one region, a drop in surface temperatures in other regions as well as change the patterns of the normally predictable trade winds and monsoons. In short, the El Nino phenomenon can cause some massive effects across the world and are not limited to Malaysia or indeed even one continent. Read the rest of this entry »

It is a testament to the human brain and the endless innovation of humanity that has led our species to thrive anywhere in the planet and come to dominate the animal kingdom in such a fashion in the way that we have despite our physical shortcomings compared to many of the other animals. It comes to no surprise that we think of humans as pretty much the same the world over given that the world has become interconnected and globalised in a way never seen before in the history of the planet, so we would like to educate our readers about some of the human tribes in far flung corners of the world who seem to have been “forgotten” by time and who still live in a way that might have been more familiar with humanity thousands of years ago. We think it’s a testament to the diversity and the ability of humanity to adapt to its conditions that these tribes still exist and thrive.

The Dani tribe of the central highlands of Papua (information from Indonesia Tourism here) are relatively close to home and, until the 20th century, quite isolated from the rest of the world and therefore still cling to many of their ancient practices although tourism and increased contact with the world have changed their way of life immeasurably. However, the Dani are one of the only tribes in that region of Papua, and many other tribes coexist in the mountains and the forests, all of which have their own customs and cultures that are truly unique. Read the rest of this entry »

One of the things we regret in Malaysia is that, even though breast cancer has been a growing problem around the world and women in particular (note, men can get breast cancer too although it is much less prevalent) should be more knowledgeable about this disease that is one of the biggest killers of women in the developed world, many remain quite ignorant about breast cancer and there aren’t nearly enough programs out there that remind women to get regular checkups if they are at risk.

In fact, there are two main factors that influence a person’s chance of contracting best cancer: one we can control (environmental factors) and one we can’t (genetic factors). Science hasn’t fully decided which factors are more powerful on determining if someone contracts breast cancer, but it would always be wise to eliminate the genetic factors. In many countries, there are now government-sponsored genetic screening tests that check to see if there are any BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutations that will lead to a higher predisposition towards breast cancer. For those who do have these mutations, they will be asked to undergo more regular mammograms and taught how to check their breasts more often to ensure that, if there are any suspicious growths, they will be caught early. Read the rest of this entry »

We’ve only just put up an article about leather products and why we think you should limit your usage of leather altogether to minimize the impact on the environment. In this article, we talk about how you should take care of your leather products so that you can maximize their usable lifespan – another key way in which you can limit your purchases of new leather products. As a “living” material, in that it comes from animals, taking the appropriate care of your leather products is essential to ensure that it gives you many years of good use.

In fact, if you are meticulous with caring for your leather upholstery and clothes, you don’t even need to use any of the chemical leather cleaners that can be found in hypermarkets across the country: Read the rest of this entry »