Article: The microbial way

Tuesday September 15, 2009

IN 1982, Dr Teruo Higa of the University of Ryukyus in Okinawa, Japan, discovered a group of naturally occurring micro-organisms which can be combined for various beneficial uses. He named them Effective Micro-organisms (EM) and patented the name.

As a commercial product, it is registered and sold as EM•1 by licensees worldwide. The major micro-organisms in EM•1 are lactic acid bacteria, yeast and phototrophic bacteria.

Higa initially developed EM as an alternative to the use of chemicals in agriculture. Through research over time, EM was found to be effective in other fields, including environmental remediation and livestock operations.

How it works

The micro-organisms in EM•1 have various functions. Through the production of lactic acid, lactic acid bacteria inhibit the growth of pathogenic micro-organisms. Yeast produce biologically-active agents such as amino acids and polysaccharides. Phototrophic bacteria utilise solar energy to metabolise organic and inorganic substances, hence its use in waste treatment.

In a healthy environment, living beings or micro-organisms live in a balance. In bad environments (such as a polluted river or industrial wastewater), the amount of beneficial micro-organisms are reduced while putrefying micro-organisms have become dominant. To restore such degraded environments, it is critical to transform the microflora by increasing the number of beneficial micro-organisms. Applying EM solution is said to do this.

In Malaysia, EM•1 is produced by Jamof at its factory in Bukit Tinggi, Johor (under licence by Higa's EM Research Organisation). It contains only micro-organisms that are found locally and is sold at around RM22 a litre. This EM concentrate has to be "activated" – by mixing with molasses, salt and water, then left for five days – before use, otherwise the micro-organisms remain dormant.

The EM-activated solution (EM-AS) is used in farming (as fertiliser and to suppress soil pathogens), aquaculture (added to feed and to kill harmful bacteria in ponds), animal husbandry (to reduce ammonia smell in waste and added to animal feed to improve digestion), to accelerate the decomposition of wastes and to treat wastewater. It is also being promoted for general cleaning purposes in homes.

Garbage enzyme (made by fermenting vegetable and fruit waste with jaggery and water for three months) is being promoted as a home-made version of EM. Soo Lee Choo of consultancy firm EM Admins, however, cautions that garbage enzyme differs in content from EM.

He says garbage enzyme should be used with care as one can never be sure of what micro-organisms it contains as these depended on what waste was used in the fermentation. EM, on the other hand, is a consortium of some 80 different microbes which are cultured in a controlled environment.

Why mudballs?

If EM-activated solution is sprayed into flowing rivers, it would just disperse before making an impact. An EM mudball, on the other hand, will sink into the river substrate and there, slowly disintegrate, allowing the EM to escape into the water.

The mudballs are a mixture of clay soil, rice bran, EM-activated solution, molasses and bokashi (rice bran fermented with EM and molasses). For river clean-ups, the recommended dosage is between one and 10 mudballs (depending on the severity of the pollution) for 1sqm. Often, EM-activated solution is also pumped into the substrate for faster result.

The EM is said to inhibit the growth of algae and break down polluting sludge that has accumulated in riverbeds. Soo says EM is capable of treating both organic and inorganic waste, including chemicals and heavy metals such as mercury and arsenic.

Reference: www.emrojapan.com

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This article was taken from: The Star Online: Lifestyle: Focus 15 September 2009

Article: Relief for river

Tuesday September 15, 2009

SUNGAI Pinang in Penang now has the nasty ranking of the seventh most polluted river in the country. It's a title which the state Drainage and Irrigation Department (DID) director Hanapi Mohamad Noor hopes to shake off.

And he reckons using Effective Micro-organisms (EM) mudballs in the river, plus curbing pollution from going in, will do the trick. He is optimistic as EM mudballs and EM solution applied at two spots in the river (near the wet market and jetty) since January have borne results.

Before: The rivermouth of Sungai Kelian in Tanjung Bungah, Penang, is covered with a thick layer of sludge.

"The sludge in the river, which used to be about 1m to 2m thick, has reduced by an average of 0.3m. The water is also clearer and there is no more foul smell," says Hanapi.

Measurements taken last month of six parameters (total suspended solids, dissolved oxygen, chemical oxygen demand, biological oxygen demand, ammonical nitrogen and pH) showed that the water quality has improved from Class IV (suitable only for irrigation) to Class III (suitable for water supply, with extensive treatment). Data on levels of heavy metals were not measured, however.

Hanipi says EM mudballs and EM solution will now be dumped into Sungai Pinang once a month, a scheme that will cost RM30,000 annually. Agreeing that preventing contamination of the river should be priority, he says raw wastewater from the wet market and slaughterhouse beside the river will be diverted to a sewage treatment plant by year-end. The Penang Municipal Council will also have to act on workshops, car wash operations and restaurants, which all directly discharge wastewater into the river.

There are also long-term plans for physical infrastructure. A 3km-long interceptor drain will be built parallel to Sungai Pinang to capture the outflows of over 100 drains, and channel the wastewater to a sewage treatment plant. These drains now empty directly into the river, adding to its foul state. The RM100mil project, if approved for the 10th Malaysia plan, will take off in 2011.

In the meantime, Hanapi says, "We cannot just wait and do nothing. Using EM is one of the efforts so that the river will not worsen."

He became convinced of the efficacy of EM after seeing rivers in Japan cleaned with EM mudballs made by communities. He then tried out the EM remedy on Sungai Perlis in 2006 when he was Perlis DID director. "The water quality was improved. People never used to fish at the river but after the use of EM, many did," says Hanapi.

After: The river has cleared up tremendously after the application of EM solution and EM mudballs over three months.

According to Abdullah Ismail, director of Jamof, the licensed retailer of EM in Malaysia, some 60,000 mudballs and 60 tonnes of EM were dumped over two months into Sungai Perlis in 2006 at a cost of RM100,000.

Penang state, meanwhile, will see wide use of EM technology.

Hanapi says next year, river maintenance work for selected rivers will include the use of EM mudballs, in addition to the normal removal of rubbish and grass-cutting.

"A one-off mudball dumping event is not enough. It has to be a continuous programme. Of course, it will be more effective to stop the pollution at source. We're moving towards that but at the same time, we should also use EM mudballs."

Hanapi says the private sector is encouraged to adopt stretches of rivers in Penang and to keep them clean by using EM mudballs. For instance, the Golden Sands Resort has adopted Sungai Mas and Motorola, Sungai Kluang.

Today: Almost three months after the last EM mudball was tossed in, the river remains generally clear.

He admits that Japanese rivers are in a better state than Malaysia's as there are good sewage treatment plants there and no roadside stalls or pasar malam. "So it will be tougher for us to clean our rivers but with support from the private sector and NGOs, we can make it sustainable."

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This article was taken from: The Star Online: Lifestyle: Focus 15 September 2009

Article: Fleeting effect

Tuesday September 15, 2009

Stories by TAN CHENG LI

Mudballs enriched with Effective Micro-organisms which can degrade pollutants are not a cure-all for polluted rivers.

THERE'S a new fad among Malaysians – shaping balls of mud and then tossing them into rivers and ponds.

It is all part of the noble effort to clean up our foul waterways. And much to the surprise of many sceptics, these pains seem to be bearing fruit.

Hard at work: Volunteers in Penang shaping EM mudballs for a river clean-up.

In Penang, Sungai Pinang and Sungai Mas are said to be less murky and smelly after thousands of mudballs were thrown in.

In Sungai Kelian in Tanjung Bungah, Penang, the transformation appears almost miraculous: after three months of mudball treatment between March and June at the estuary, the metre-thick black sludge that smothered the riverbed has disappeared, leaving behind a sandy bottom.

Although photographs taken last week show the estuary to be silting up again, the black muck that has for years sullied the rivermouth appears to be gone for good.

The mudballs worked because they have been enriched with Effective Micro-organisms (EM), a consortium of "good" microbes that can degrade pollutants (see sidebar) such as those contained within the noxious sludge that chokes riverbeds.

Sounds too good to be true? It is. Before everyone gets all excited over these wonderballs, here are some words of caution from scientists and even EM advocates themselves: they are not a cure-all to the problem of polluted rivers. The efficacy of EM mudballs will not last – not when pollutants continue pouring into rivers.

So while EM can work wonders, many question its long-term viability – particularly in Malaysia where rivers are still a toxic brew of rubbish, sewage, industrial effluent, eroded soils, chemical-laced runoffs from farms, untreated grey water (from kitchens and bathrooms), stormwater and nasty runoffs from wet markets, pasar malam sites, eateries, car washes and car workshops.

"What happens once we stop dumping the mudballs? It is a costly exercise which does not create a sustainable solution. I do not recommend it," says Datuk Dr Zaini Ujang, professor in environmental engineering at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia.

"This is not the way to solve environmental problems. We're allowing the river to be polluted, then treat it. The principle of any river rehabilitation is to identify the sources of pollution, then treat the pollution ... not treat the pollution after it has gone into the river."

The vice-chancellor who has vast experience in wastewater management is also concerned over potential side-effects.

"We might be altering the environment and allowing it to take place without proper monitoring.

"In a waste treatment plant, the confined environment allows us to control and monitor some 20 parameters in the treatment process, such the type of micro-organisms, temperature, turbidity and retention time."

The promising nature of EM mudballs has prompted Dr K. Kalithasan of Global Enviroment Centre to test them out.

He has used them twice in Sungai Way, Selangor, since three months ago, under a "river care" project funded by Guinness Anchor Bhd Foundation.

"The water quality showed an improvement but it is too early to attribute it to the mudballs. It could be because rains have diluted the pollution."

Kalithasan does not believe that EM can do wonders in one application.

"Once you stop using it and pollution gets back into the river, you're back to zero. EM is not a permanent solution. Provided it is used widely in all activities, then it can work, such as in Japan, where communities use it in their daily chores such as washing and cleaning."

The Department of Environment has yet to study the use of EM mudballs in river rehabilitation.

"DOE's approach to clean up rivers has always been to handle at source," says director-general Datuk Rosnani Ibarahim.

"Pollution can come from various sources, hence the various degree and complexity of parameters to be treated to remove the toxic constituents. I do not know much about mudball but it might not work that well because water in the river moves and dilution will render the mudball less effective.

"I understand it is a kind of micro-organism, hence it can only best treat the organic components of water pollution. What will happen to the inorganic components discharged by all kinds of industries?"

EM advocates admit that merely dumping a few hundred EM mudballs (also called bokashi mudballs) will not do the trick.

"Such events are more to demonstrate that the technique works. After that we must encourage people to treat pollution at source," says Soo Lee Choo of EM Admins, a consultancy in Penang.

He says this will entail sewage treatment plants and industries using EM to render their discharges clean enough for release into rivers.

He also encourages households and hawkers, who are major sources of river pollution, to use EM for cleaning purposes as the resulting wastewater will be non-polluting.

Abdullah Ismail, director of Jamof, the licensed retailer of EM in Malaysia, shares Soo's views.

"To treat the river itself, you can use EM mudballs. After that, you must think about how to handle the other pollution such as sewage, household waste and industrial discharges.

"I have told government agencies that just treating the water in the river is a waste of money. The river will revert back to its polluted state if the pollution is not stopped."

He also encourages communities to use EM at home. "They should stop dumping kitchen waste but compost it using EM, then pour the liquid that is produced into drains and rivers."

He says this EM-enriched solution will help keep drains, sewers and streams clean.

Costly exercise?

As EM mudballs must be applied in large numbers and over a period of time for them to work, this remedy might prove costly.

It was reported that the state of Johor had spent RM1.5mil on EM in the last two years, and will spend another RM1.5mil this year.

Soo, however, says using EM technology is among the cheapest methods to clean up rivers.

He says the EM solution costs RM22 per litre and can be mixed to form up to 20 litres. And by relying on volunteers to make the mudballs, costs are further reduced.

He says the Sungai Kelian project used up 40,000 mudballs and 12,000 litres of EM solution at a cost of RM100,000, which was covered by corporate sponsors.

"We spent only a fraction of what the Government did. And we see results. Mechanically dredging rivers will cost about RM4mil for 1km."

The EM mudballs, he adds, need to be applied intensively only initially – once a week for the first two to three months. After that, fewer balls are used and they are thrown only fortnightly and then, monthly.

"We estimated that if only 10% of the population in the Sungai Kelian river basin spends RM10 to RM20 a month to make mudballs, we can move the river from Class III to Class I," says Soo, a retired property developer who now goes around giving talks on EM.

But for EM mudballs to work, they have to be continuously tossed into the river. A single pitch cannot mop up all the dirt and would only amount to wasted funds.

But many such one-off events, with no long-term viability, have taken off.

One example: in December 2006, the Drainage and Irrigation Department spent RM100,000 to dump EM mudballs into Taman Aman Lake in Petaling Jaya, Selangor.

It was not followed up with more mudballs treatment and prevention of pollution into the lake. And so, the lake remains dirty.

Quick fixes are always appealing. It is feared that state governments, local councils and even community groups, all desperately wanting to restore rivers, will seek the easy way out by resorting to flinging balls of mud.

Until we stem pollution from entering our rivers, dumping mudballs is futile – their cleansing effect will only be fleeting.

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This article was taken from: The Star Online: Lifestyle: Focus 15 September 2009

Image: The serpent and the catchers

Date : Tuesday, 15-September-2009 

by Khor KS

Looks like students from the Slytherin House need to postpone their Parseltongue class again.

This image was taken from: The Star Online: Thumbnails 15 September 2009

Image: Pool dip

Date : Monday, 14-September-2009

by Joseph Chin Hock Lim

Nothing beats a cool soak in your local swimming pool on a hot sunny afternoon.

This image was taken from: The Star Online: Thumbnails 14 September 2009

Image: Gossip whisperer

Date : Monday, 14-September-2009

by Amardev Singh

Hey Charlie, did you know that your cousin Marley just got a new leather collar? But you know what, I heard that it's a fake buy from Petaling Street!

This image was taken from: The Star Online: Thumbnails 14 September 2009

Image: Love found

Date : Sunday, 13-September-2009

by T. Yasoda

...but who says it can't be replaced with a kitten?

This image was taken from: The Star Online: Thumbnails 13 September 2009

Image: Love lost

Date : Sunday, 13-September-2009 

by Peggy Ng

Watching its baby being electrocuted is tough for the monkey mama...

This image was taken from: The Star Online: Thumbnails 13 September 2009

Image: My new BFFF

Date : Saturday, 12-September-2009 

by Joyce Soh

Best Furry Friend Forever.

This image was taken from: The Star Online: Thumbnails 12 September 2009

Article: The ‘Egg=Life’ crusade

Saturday September 12, 2009

WWF-Malaysia launched the "Egg=Life" campaign on Earth Day (April 22) this year with the aim of improving the protection of marine turtles in Malaysia.

The campaign, which runs till September 30, aims to get pledges from 40,000 people to never consume or trade in turtle eggs or their parts, support laws banning the sale and consumption of turtle eggs and support the call for comprehensive legislation to conserve marine turtles.

Pledges are obtained through signatures collected from the public, postage-paid hardcopy sign-up forms and online pledges through www.wwf.org.my or www.saveturtles.my. Many organisations and colleges are supporting the campaign as well by undertaking signature drive initiatives of their own.

When WWF-Malaysia executive director and CEO Datuk Dr Dionysius Sharma first heard about the Telur Rangers proposal, he was very excited because it would promote turtle conservation awareness in a fun and unique way.

Datuk Dr Dionysius Sharma.

"We hope to raise public awareness of the importance of turtle conservation and related issues, so the Telur Rangers are an important part of our Egg=Life campaign. We do not have the resources to undertake a peninsula-wide Egg=Life road show, so this was also a good way of getting our message out to the public in many states.

"We are pleased to support the efforts of such enthusiastic people who are passionate about protecting turtles that they took time off work to undertake the project," says Dionysius.

WWF-Malaysia's involvement in the project includes helping them secure accommodation, venue and car sponsorships, as well as promoting the project to the media and WWF supporters and networks. Each signature in support of WWF-Malaysia's "Egg=Life" campaign will lend weight to efforts aimed at improving turtle protection legislation in Malaysia.

"WWF-Malaysia will be working with our partners to call for laws banning the sale and consumption of all turtle eggs throughout Malaysia. I hope everyone will help save the turtles with just one signature — either when the Telur Rangers visit or through the many colleges and corporations that are helping us to obtain signatures in support of the campaign.

"This process will take time, but by the end of the year, we are optimistic that these signatures will help lend weight to the call," says Dionysius.

Dionysius points out that leatherback turtles have already been declared functionally extinct in Malaysia.

"In the 1950s, there were 10,000 leatherback nests in Rantau Abang each year; now there are less than 10. Moreover, turtle protection laws are inadequate. Current federal laws on turtles are limited. Under the Federal Constitution, it is the state that has the authority to make laws on turtles. State laws vary from state to state and are simply inadequate."

Marine turtles are threatened with extinction due to various factors such as the consumption of turtle eggs, turtles being accidentally caught in fishing gear, poorly planned coastal development, marine and nesting beach pollution as well as illegal trade in turtles and their parts.

In Peninsular Malaysia, WWF-Malaysia works with partners, including the Department of Fisheries Malaysia, to conserve turtles at key nesting rookeries including Kem Terendak, Pulau Upeh and Padang Kemunting beaches in Malacca as well as Ma'Daerah and Setiu beaches in Terengganu.

Malacca's beaches are home to the peninsula's largest population of hawksbill turtles — with 20% to 30% of the state's total nesting occurring on the 120m strip of beach in Pulau Upeh, the densest nesting beach in Malacca, while a significant population of green turtles nest on Terengganu's beaches.

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This article was taken from: The Star Online: Lifestyle: Travel and Adventure 12 September 2009

Article: Girls saving the wild

Saturday September 12, 2009

Stories by JOLEEN LUNJEW

It was an eye-opener of sorts for three young ladies campaigning for turtle conservation when they traversed the East Coast where turtle eggs are still sold openly for consumption.

Two weeks on the road travelling in a cramped car may seem quite uncomfortable but biologist Grace Duraisingham, 26, and agency executives Chong Huey Meim, 29 and Nelleisa Omar, 26, found their road trip exciting because they wanted to spread the word that consuming turtle eggs was bad for the future of marine turtles.

And their ride was a cool one indeed, courtesy of AMC Motors which provided them a bright green classic Volkswagen Beetle decked up to look like a turtle.

The Telur Mobile provided by AMC Motors.

The trio flagged off from Tropicana City in Petaling Jaya on July 27, and headed north to Ipoh, Penang, Kedah and Perlis; then east to Kelantan and Terengganu; south to Johor Baru via Kuantan and back to Kuala Lumpur on Aug 8 via Malacca.

When asked how the project came about, Chong said that the idea started when her fellow Leo Burnett colleague Nelleisa pledged her support for WWF's Egg=Life campaign and started convincing everyone to do the same.

"We came up with this road trip idea to collect signatures to help the cause. WWF pledged 40,000 signatures but we thought, why not make it 100,000?

"We approached WWF and they loved the idea. Grace, who is a WWF-Malaysia Field Biologist with the Malacca Hawksbill Turtle Conservation Project, pushed for the project and Voila! here we are.

"We named ourselves Telur Rangers for obvious reasons. We want to be little heroes and chip in to save our turtle friends from ending up as someone's snack," says Chong.

Their main objectives were to raise awareness of the turtles' plight of possible extinction and to open up a new chapter in turtle conservation. Not many Malaysians are aware of the depth and implication of the turtle egg trade.

(Left to right): Nelleisa Omar, 26, Grace Duraisingham, 26 and Chong Huey Meim, 29 with three-year-old Adam who helped them collect signatures.

Although their goal was to collect as many signatures as possible, the girls also spent time talking to the public and visiting local markets and turtle hatcheries.

"We spoke with people who were interested and willing to help so I would think the time spent educating them would have made quite an impact in their understanding of conservation issues in Malaysia. It was also very motivating to have come across young Malaysians who wanted to help us collect signatures. It shows that the younger generation is aware of environmental issues and concerned about preserving our local unique biodiversity," says Grace.

Nelleisa agreed that meeting enthusiastic young Malaysians was very touching.

"When we went to the Pekan Batu Pahat Scouts Centre, we were greeted by 70 excited scouts. We were so touched when we saw the welcome banner with a picture of our Telur Mobile that they had prepared just for us!

"We also enjoyed the talk we gave to the students at Olympia College in Kuantan and speaking to the kids in Kampung Mangkuk, Setiu. We were happy to see that they understood the issue and supported the cause.

Then there was Adam, a three-year-old boy in Malacca who managed to collect 12 signatures for us in less than 20 minutes! And in Kuala Perlis, Ila, a young teenager from a food stall, came after us to ask if she could have some forms so that she could help. She said it was her birthday the next day and she wanted to be part of something special.

"These are the Malaysians that we need in our country," says Nelleisa.

Turtle eggs sold openly.

But there were also some sad moments in their journey when they went to the Kota Baru market and found turtle eggs being sold openly at RM10 for three.

"The sellers I spoke to said that they knew it was illegal to sell the eggs openly but the authorities had never stopped them so they continue to do so. They are aware that the eggs are hard to get. They said they received the eggs from Sabah, transported illegally by air or sea," says Nelleisa.

The girls said the response was better in the northern states of Kedah and Perlis but it was difficult to change the mindset of the village folks.

"During my work in Malacca, I questioned some people as to why they wouldn't stop eating turtle eggs. The response I got was: 'Ala, dulu nenek moyang saya makan telur penyu. Sekarang masih ada lagi. Penyu ni tak akan pupus lah (My ancestors used to eat the eggs. Turtles are still here. They won't go extinct)'," says Grace.

"Some said they loved the taste and argued that 'Saya makan sekali-sekala sahaja, bukannya makan hari-hari (I only eat it once in a while, not every day)'.

"And this was from a guy living in Kuala Lumpur! There are also those who say: 'It's not illegal so why not try. After all, it's just once'. But they don't realise that if every Malaysian wanted to try one egg, then we would have killed 26 million baby turtles!

"Others say that pregnant women crave the eggs and there are many false beliefs that turtle eggs are good for your health, have more nutrients compared to chicken eggs, have aphrodisiac properties and are lower in cholesterol. One restaurant owner even said that the eggs would give babies smoother skin if taken by pregnant women.

"These myths are pure nonsense and have all been scientifically debunked. The hardcore egg consumers just don't care. In fact, turtle eggs are found to be less nutritious than chicken eggs," explains Grace.

"This quote definitely takes the cake! Someone said: 'Dah nak pupus? Lebih baik makan lebih sekarang. Nanti masa depan tak boleh rasa lagi (Going extinct? Better eat more now or we won't be able to taste them in future)'," Chong reveals.

"From what we have learned, many people eat turtle eggs out of curiosity, because the eggs were presented as gifts or their parents used to eat them, so they continue to eat it.

"Many do not know that unlike commercial chicken eggs, turtle eggs are all fertilised and if not consumed, will eventually hatch into turtles. People are just too selfish to think or care that they are driving a species towards extinction," says Chong.

"If we keep eating turtle eggs, the poor turtles will have no offspring and eventually go extinct. Turtle hatchlings already have many natural obstacles and predators to face out there in the wild. The last thing they need is someone eating their babies just for the heck of it."

Chong Huey Meim collecting signatures outside Giant, Alor Setar.

During their stop in Kerteh, the girls met up with Imam Zulkiflee Salleh who has been highlighting the plight of the turtles during his sermons at several mosques around Kerteh.

According to the girls, the imam said that different mazhab (Islamic schools of thought) had different views, some allowing and others disallowing turtle egg consumption. The mazhab that Malaysians follow does not disallow it. However, he said that Islam taught its followers to protect God's creations.

"My personal view is that it is still wrong to consume turtle eggs because turtles are considered haiwan dua alam (animals that can live on land and in water). But eating anything into extinction is definitely wrong anyway," says Nelleisa.

Besides their signature drive and raising awareness, the girls managed to visit a Government-run turtle education centre and hatchery, released some hatchlings and went turtle-spotting around Pulau Perhentian.

"Alu Alu Divers in Perhentian took us on a complimentary trip and made sure we saw turtles, so that was just amazing. I am directly involved with turtle conservation but it's not every day I get to see these amazing creatures swimming in the wild," says Grace.

The girls managed to collect 3,366 signatures from their two-week road trip, a far cry from their targeted 100,000 signatures, but they plan to fulfil their goal through various post activities.

"We will be uploading more of our pictures and videos on our blog as well as our Facebook page so that the public can share our journey. Many caring Malaysians have come forward to help us collect signatures from their universities, schools and organisations, so we are staying positive on achieving our targeted 100,000 goal.

"More importantly, we hope the Government will see that Malaysians at large want more protection of marine turtles, and hopefully the Government will step up their efforts in this area," says Chong.

"As the Egg=Life campaign ends on Sept 30, we will try to have weekend activities to spice things up and get more signatures. We'll probably approach more corporations and schools to pledge for this cause as well," adds Nelleisa.

Help the Telur Rangers and WWF-Malaysia to achieve their 100,000 signatures. Follow the Telur Rangers' journey at telurrangers.blogspot.com, join their Facebook fan page or pledge your online signature at www.wwf.org.my or www.saveturtles.my. Currently, the signatures roughly number 14,000.

Related Story:
The 'Egg=Life' crusade

This article was taken from: The Star Online: Lifestyle: Travel and Adventure 12 September 2009

Article: Pig farmers ignorant about disease

Friday September 11, 2009

IPOH: The level of awareness among Perak pig farmers on the severity of the Influenza A(H1N1) disease is still low.

State Health Committee chairman Datuk Dr Mah Hang Soon said steps had to be taken to increase the farmers' awareness on the disease.

"There has been no cases of pigs being infected by the virus in Malaysia, but we cannot afford to let our guard down," he told reporters after opening an awareness seminar on the disease for pig farmers in the state.

The seminar, said Dr Mah, was among the steps taken by the authorities to increase awareness on the disease.

"The Veterinary Department also takes swabs from pigs regularly to check on the existence of the virus," he added.

Dr Mah also said that an enactment on pig farming had been approved by the state exco recently.

The enactment was to ensure the industry's continued growth and that the meat produced by the farmers were clean.

"We want to ensure pig farms do not pollute the environment and farmers practise clean farming," he added.

Earlier, reading out the speech by Perak Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir, Dr Mah said the pig farming industry in Perak was worth RM453mil.

"It is the third biggest after the duck and poultry-rearing industries," he said.

This article was taken from: The Star Online: Nation, 11 September 2009

Image: Prickly Mouse

Date : Friday, 11-September-2009

by Lim Pueh Tian

By the pricking of my thumbs, something Disney this way comes.

This article was taken from: The Star Online: Thumbnails, 11 September 2009

Image: wonders of the universe

This article was taken from: The Star Newspaper: World W37, 11 September 2009

Article: Walruses congregate on Alaska's shore

This article was taken from: The Star Newspaper: World W48, 11 September 2009

Article: Slithery snakes and springy noodles

Saturday September 5, 2009

By PHILIP HII

SIBU: Lai Lee Siew is a household name here. People remember him for three reasons — being the famous "Snake King" in town, his crime-busting activity and his tasty noodles.

He caught his first snake almost a quarter of a century ago when he was 16, and has lost count of how many of these reptiles he has captured with his bare hands.

A BIG CATCH: Lai with a 15-feet python

"On an average, I catch about seven to eight snakes a month, so it must be about 2,000 by now," said Lai while flipping through some old photo albums to show me his biggest and prized catches.

Ah Siew, as he is more popularly known, grew up in the Tong Sang Road area.

"Our home was very close to town but as a boy, I always played near the Lembangan River which is now the site of Sibu Central Market," he recalled.

"A nine-foot python crept into our backyard one day and until today I still wonder how I had the courage and strength to kill it," he recalled.

He confessed: "Those days I was actually a bit scared of snakes." But unwittingly, that was the beginning of his quest for the title of "Snake King" of Sibu.

NO FEAR: Lai and his friends posing with pythons during a shoot for an MTV programme.

Initially, he killed and ate the snakes he caught.

"In the old days, many Chinese and Iban liked to eat snakes because they believed the animal had medicinal values especially in warming the heart, improving blood circulation and increasing virility," Ah Siew explained.

At the urging of his parents, he stopped eating the snakes and stopped killing them altogether because according to Chinese folklore, snakes were associated with evil and sometimes they could be the reincarnation of ancestors or dead relatives.

"Later, I learnt that a lot of the snakes are listed as protected animals in Malaysia," he added.

SCARY REPTILE: One of the cobras caught by Lai

Ah Siew said he read books and watched documentaries to learn about snake-catching. He also credited retired snake catcher Lim Tien Soon, known as the "Snake King" of Sibu in the 1980s, for inspiring him.

Among Ah Siew's adventures were catching a record 70 snakes over two months and rounding up eight snakes from one house consisting of an adult female python and several small pythons.

He hastened to add that fortunately, most snakes living among the population are not poisonous. Speaking from experience, he said that snakes were often found in flood-prone residential areas during the rainy season.

Among some of his prized catches were two pairs of king cobra about 15-feet long while pythons as long as 20-feet were quite common-sight for him. Over the years, he had also acquired the skills of trapping monkeys and other wild animals that ventured into farms and destroyed crops or killed poultry.

The animals that he captured are being kept in cages and baskets until he could release them into the jungles. He hopes the authorities would establish a mini zoo in Sibu where he can send all these animals.

He said many of his friends at Sibu Central Market were contributing leftover fruits to feed the wild animals presently kept on his front porch.

This father-of-three's snake-catching reputation has spread even to the peninsula. He had received telephone calls from people in Kuala Lumpur seeking his advice on ways to get rid of snakes from their homes and warehouses. He had even trained a few local artistes to handle snakes as part of their concert performances. Ah Siew is not just busy catching snakes, which he does for free; he also helps to catch criminals.

Since joining the People's Volunteer Corp (Rela) 10 years ago, he has regularly received certificates of appreciation from the organisation and the police. Most nights, he would be out patrolling crime-prone areas with fellow Rela members.

At other times, he can be found helping his wife at their noodle stall on the first floor of Sibu Central Market.

This article was taken from: The Star Online: Metro: South & East 5 September 2009

Image: Buzz off!

Date : Wednesday, 9-September-2009

by Lee Wen Wei

Silly eagle, didn't mama tell you to never poke your beak into other winged-friends' hive?

This image was taken from: The Star Online: Thumbnails 9 September 2009

Article: Can't let their cattle go

This article was taken from: The Star Newspaper: Nation N25 9 September 2009

Article: cougar on the prowly captured in seattle

This article was taken from: The Star Newspaper: World W32  8 September 2009

Image: Sea Of Support

This image was taken from: The Star Newspaper: World W27  8 September 2009

Article: Veterinarian’s service that really sucks

Wednesday September 9, 2009

A KINDERGARTEN teacher who took her feverish pet squirrel to the veterinary clinic had her breasts allegedly groped by the veterinarian instead, reported Harian Metro.

According to the daily, the veterinarian had asked the 27-year old woman to place the squirrel inside her blouse to keep it warm given its "erratic body temperature".

However, the squirrel got stuck on her bra strap when the 52-year-old veterinarian asked her to take the animal out.

The veterinarian, the report said, saw the woman's breasts while helping her remove the squirrel and started praising her figure.

He then allegedly told the victim to take care of her body and "beautiful breasts".

Ampang OCPD Asst Comm Abd Jalil Hasan said the veterinarian then began to demonstrate to her how to massage her breasts.

"He then took advantage by groping and sucking the victim's breasts. The victim struggled to release herself before the doctor finally let her go," he told the daily.

"He told her she need not pay for the squirrel's treatment and asked her to come again. But she decided to lodge a police report," ACP Abd Jalil Hasan told the daily, adding that the veterinarian was arrested on Monday.

The squirrel died shortly after returning home.

This article was taken from: The Star Online: Nation  9 September 2009

Image: Birdie taste

Date : Tuesday, 8-September-2009 

by Tan Siew Voon

Bird #1: Yikes! Nasi Lemak again. Bird #2: Check out Table Four ... fancy Hainanese chicken rice?

This image was taken from: The Star Online: Thumbnails 8 September 2009

Article: Green crusaders Young winners of Jerneh Friend Of Green Malaysia competition.

Tuesday September 8, 2009
By SHARMILA NAIR

BEING environmentally-aware is not as difficult as you might think it is. Even changing the type of light bulbs you use at home makes a huge and positive impact on the environment. What is difficult, though, is changing the common mindset that one person alone cannot bring much change in conserving the environment.

"That's not true. A single person can make a very big difference if only they knew how much they can do to save energy," says Mohd Afiq Deen Azizan, 22.

The Architecture student should know as he alone managed to get his villagers in Yan, Kedah, to start using Compact Fluorescent Light Bulb, or CFL, in their homes.

"The CFL bulbs saves more energy compared with the usual tungsten light bulbs that people use at home," says Afiq.

Mohd Afiq Deen Azizan, 22, got all his villagers back in Yan, Kedah to use CFL bulbs.

He was first introduced to the CFL light bulbs when he went shopping for lighting fixtures for his new place.

When Afiq saw that the energy-saving bulbs were more expensive than the normal ones, he decided to find out why.

"I Google-d CFL bulbs and found out just how good they were for our homes, the environment and, the best part, our pockets. Even though the bulbs are expensive, they in fact help to save us more money in the long run."

At the time, Afiq was also searching for ideas for the Jerneh Friend Of Green Malaysia Short Film Competition, so his discovery of CFL bulbs was just perfect. "It was a real 'light bulb' moment for me," says Afiq.

As this year's theme for the competition was Energy Conservation, he thought that getting his villagers to "convert" to CFL light bulbs would make a great video.

Though the Universiti Islam Antarabangsa student stays in Kuala Lumpur, Afiq decided that it would be best to shoot the video back in his kampung in Yan.

"The folks there are not well versed with energy conservation. By doing this video, I got to introduce to them the benefits of conserving energy," says Afiq.

It was his light-hearted video of villagers changing to CFL light bulbs that won him the grand prize in Category Two of the competition (students aged between 16 and 23).

Afiq was also the grand prize winner last year, and he really didn't expect to win the competition again.

Muhammad Danial Zian made a video that highlights the use of CFL bulbs.

"I was actually pretty apprehensive about enterting my submission (because of the win last year), but I couldn't resist making the video and trying my luck the second time," he says.

Meanwhile, teenager Muhammad Danial Zian won the grand prize in the Category One. His video was a group effort, as Danial had to submit the clip as part of the English for Science and Mathematics subject in school. Danial goes to SMK Seafield in Petaling Jaya, Selangor.

Afiq and Danial and his four-member team won RM3,000, a trophy and a certificate of recognition for their creative and winning works.

Danial, 16, and his team only had two days to work on the video before the deadline for the competition.

"We worked on the idea for the video and spent less than one day shooting it. Since none of us had a proper video recorder, I shot the clip using my digital camera. I was the videographer, editor, director and, gosh, are my friends terrible actors!" says Danial, with a laugh.

The video was shot around their school compound and featured his friends doing energy-saving things like walking instead of driving, turning off electrical appliances when not in use and, of course, using CFL bulbs instead of the conventional ones.

"In fact, after watching our video, two of our teachers who live near the school have decided to walk to work instead of driving like they usually do," says Danial proudly. He also states that the recycling bin in his school that used to be empty most of the time, is now often filled with recyclable items.

Afiq also tries to do his part in conserving energy. One of his tasks is to get his mother to gradually reduce the number of plastic bags she uses everyday.

"She loves to use plastic bags even when buying small things that could fit into her handbag. But I'm slowly getting her to change her habits," he says.

Besides that, Afiq also tries to carpool as often as he can.

"My family loves to travel a lot. Whenever my family decides to go somewhere, we go in a big rombongan in as few vehicles as we can," he says.

Making videos and uploading them on YouTube is one of Afiq's hobbies. He has many videos online, and is currently working on a Tamil drama.

"I think that making videos are a great way to promote ideas or causes such as energy conservation. Youngsters today are not really into reading and prefer watching videos instead. This is the best way to get through them quick and easy," he says.

This article was taken from: The Star Online: Rage: Stories: Entertainment: Features 8 September 2009

Image: Verena Wolf

This article was taken from: The Star Newspaper: World: Star Foto Folder W33, 7 September 2009

Article: great white sharks tagged for the first time in US

This article was taken from: The Star Newspaper: World W38, 7 September 2009

Article: visits to the vet

This article was taken from: The Star Newspaper: Weekenders WE16, 5 September 2009

Image: On high-carb diet

Date : Monday, 7-September-2009 

by V. Navarani

Despite the 'WHO warning' that rats lack hygiene, these cats don't seem to mind sharing the meal with their 'food'.

This image was taken from: The Star Online: Thumbnails 7 September 2009

Image: Dental Institution

Date : Sunday, 6-September-2009

by Angeline Oh Abai

Never look a gift horse in the mouth. Or a donkey, for that matter

This image was taken from: The Star Online:Thumbnails 6 September 2009