Work with Mardi for high quality yields, firms told

KUALA LUMPUR: More private companies are encouraged to work with the Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (Mardi) to produce better quality food and livestock.

Deputy Agriculture and Agro-Based Industry Minister Chua Tee Yong said yesterday private companies working with the government on research could increase innovation and productivity.

He was speaking after launching five books by Mardi researchers and witnessing the signing of a memorandum of agreement between Mardi and three companies at the Malaysia Agriculture, Horticulture and Agrotourism (MAHA) International Show 2010 in Serdang.

The companies are Falcon Livestock, Nizo Food Research B.V. and Sime Darby Research Sdn Bhd.

Falcon Livestock will provide expertise in the development of an improved breed of Jamnapari goats while Nizo Food Research will work on producing high quality and safe food products. The MoA with Sime Darby is for a research project on seed technology.

Chua said an increase of up to 40 per cent in goat's milk and meat was expected with Falcon's expertise.

"We hope with the research, we can meet our goals with the targeted groups," he said.

The five books launched were MARDI: Three Decades of Achievement in Research and Development -- Supplement, Durio of Malaysia, Kamus Pertanian Malaysia, Potensi dan Strategi Pemasaran Buah-buahan Terpilih and Kajian Produktiviti dan Kecekapan Sektor Pertanian dan Industri Pemprosesan Makanan Terpilih.

Earlier, Chua said since agriculture was an important industry, it had to be modernised with innovation and the latest technology that could increase production.

"Innovation and creativity will produce new discoveries which could lead to easier work processes, increased productivity and produce high quality products," he said.

The books, priced from RM15 onwards, will be available at Mardi and major bookstores in the country.

TRENDS: No ordinary plan

It was a mismatch of network performance and users’ broadband experience in P1’s offerings, so its chief technology officer Ti Liang Seng looked for a solution. Rozana Sani has the details

IF you’re frustrated with the quality of broadband access through the mobile dongle at home, you have no one to blame but yourself. Or so it seems.

Mobile dongles are optimised for outdoor use, not indoor use, according to wireless broadband provider Packet One Network (M) Sdn Bhd (P1).

Its chief technology officer Ti Liang Seng says: “For indoor use, you need a device with a larger antenna and connected to a higher-voltage power source for stronger signal strength. The mobile dongle, with its smaller antenna and powered through a laptop, can’t possibly perform as well as a home modem, especially through layers of walls indoors.”

This was one of the key findings from P1 after the company went looking for answers to subscribers’ complaints of poor broadband experience following the launch of its successful Sudah Potong? campaign two years ago.

At the time, a check with the network engineers proved that the network was holding steady. Tasked to find out the root cause of the poor broadband experience, Ti quickly identified three areas P1 had to focus on to improve its network: Quality, capacity and coverage.

“In terms of quality, we had 26 key components to measure, including system downtime, packet loss, latency and success rate of connection. We also studied customer behaviour to adjust network capacity to suit the location and surfing times of customers. We invested RM720 million in the network infrastructure,” says Ti.

But a vital information that P1 had was from a Frost & Sullivan study it commissioned: 93 per cent of broadband users in the country compromised their broadband experience by using their mobile dongles at home and as a result, were frustrated with their broadband services.

Many subscribers also didn’t realise that usage quota on mobile broadband plans was meant only for light web surfing, emailing and social networking on Facebook or Twitter.

Armed with these findings and the upgrade work in network infrastructure, P1 came up with the One 69 Plan, under its current Potong Stim campaign. This plan, which complements its three

One Plan offerings that were launched in July, makes quality 4G broadband at home and on-the-go even more affordable.

What’s also interesting is, the One 69 Plan comes with a money-back guarantee, making P1 the only provider locally to offer such a plan.

Under this plan, subscribers get two modems — P1 4G home modem with WiFi and a nifty P1 4G on-the-go modem — and voice service. They only pay RM49 a month as a special introductory offer for the first three months. The plan promises 1Mbps for both modems and a shared quota of 3GB.

The home modem provides WiFi for the whole house and up to 10 devices can logon and use the same Internet account. This includes any WiFi-enabled device such as the iPhone, iPad, BlackBerry, Android phones or game consoles.

“Using the right modem in the right environment is important to get a better broadband experience. Using your mobile dongle at home is ’Potong Stim!’” says Ti with a smile.

He has also revealed that P1 will provide Internet protocol television, video-on-demand and other rich multimedia services next year following its partnership with Telekom Malaysia Berhad to accelerate the delivery of high-speed broadband services to all Malaysians, powered by the latter’s HSBB infrastructure.

Also, look out for P1’s 4G WiMax/TD-LTE dual network soon, teases Ti

Telekom partners Pruvent for broadband products

TELEKOM Research & Development Sdn Bhd (TMR&D) will develop more high-speed broadband-based products under a collaboration with 30-member strong Persatuan Usahawan Vendor Telekom Malaysia (Pruvent).

The products include wireless broadband access, broadband powerline, studio-grade multicast video conferencing system, instant messenger software called UnMe, radio frequency identification and fibre-to-the-home technologies.

TMR&D will also benefit from the tie-up by leveraging on Pruvent’s capabilities to commercialise the products.

According to TMR&D’s chief executive officer Dr Shahruddin Muslimin, the company will be engaging in mutually beneficial business collaboration with Pruvent by licensing the rights over the intellectual property and products.

“They will then be able to manufacture and market the products based on our technologies to serve the telecommunications needs for both local and overseas markets,” he said in Cyberjaya last week.

Pruvent’s deputy president Datuk Zaharah A. Kadir said following the signing of the agreement, the association will kick off activities by getting the licence of two products from TMR&D – first to be manufactured for Telekom Malaysia, then for the consumption of the local market.

“Over the next two to three years, we plan to produce TMR&D technology-based products for markets that the TM Group are present in such as the Asean market, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh,” she said.

Pruvent will also be working closely with Sirim Berhad to work on the marketing and packaging aspects. – By Rozana Sani

Najib opens Lima 2011

LANGKAWI: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak today opened the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition 2011 (LIMA '11), underscoring that defence and security are of paramount importance to regional and national strategic interests.

Against the backdrop of more than 400 companies from 35 countries present at the 11th edition of LIMA, he pointed out that defence and security ensured not only territorial integrity but also the sovereignty that all countries hold dear.


He said that Asia today enjoyed the fastest-growing economy in the world, and defence expenditure was no exception.


"Aerospace and maritime spending is surging, and is set to rise yet further as governments continue to tackle both traditional and non-traditional security threats," Najib said when opening Malaysia's premier defence and security show at the Mahsuri International Exhibition Centre (MIEC), here.


Present were his wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, former prime minister and LIMA's founding figure Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Defence Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi as well as foreign defence and security chiefs.


Najib said: "There can be no doubting the bravery and heroism of our men and women in uniform, and before they risk their lives to protect us, it's our duty to ensure they have the best tools for the job.


"That means giving them the latest, safest, most cutting-edge equipment capable of meeting the challenges of modern warfare."


He noted that LIMA was not just about the latest military technology as it was also about the commercial sectors of the maritime and aerospace industries which were exhibiting here for the first time.


Over half of the world's top 100 maritime and aerospace suppliers are present for the show.


According to LIMA organisers, on display are 65 aircraft as well as 14 warships from around the world.

Najib said technology-intensive sectors such as shipbuilding and ship repair and aerospace maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) continued to be significant contributors to Malaysia's economy.


Last year alone, the shipbuilding and ship repair industry generated more than US$2.3 billion (RM7.26 billion), while MRO and aerospace manufacturing contributed about US$1.73 billion (RM5.46 billion).


"Taken together, these sectors provide jobs for more than 44,000 people, many of them in highly-skilled professional roles," he said.


The prime minister said skills and wages in Malaysia were rising as the country continues on the path towards high-income status.


"But as this transformation occurs, we must be prepared to face stiff competition for foreign investments once we're no longer perceived as a 'cheap' place to invest," he said.


Najib mentioned that the Malaysian Aerospace Council last year helped establish the Aerospace Malaysia Innovation Centre (AMIC), an industry-led research and technology centre of excellence that would drive progress in Malaysian aerospace expertise.


AMIC, he said, had already brought together key global players such as EADS, Rolls Royce and CTRM to help shape the future of Malaysian aviation, working in close collaboration with local universities to raise skills as well the global reputation of Malaysian researchers, engineers and scientists.


"So, we're putting in place the skills, the infrastructure. What we need now is to build the market demand that will drive expansion now and in the future," he said.


Najib's speech also alluded to the launch of the national Aerospace Blueprint back in 1997, and, now, the creation of a similar strategic plan for Malaysia's maritime businesses.


"The Malaysian Shipbuilding/Ship Repair Industry Strategic Plan 2020 charts a clear course for the industry to sail ahead," he said.


Following the LIMA opening, Najib witnessed the signing of a number of aerospace industry-related pacts.


They include the technical consultancy services agreement between Airod Sdn Bhd and Malaysian Aerospace Engineering Sdn Bhd (MAE) in relation to MAE providing consultancy services to Airod for the development of the aerospace MRO cluster at the new Kunming International Airport.


Majlis Amanah Rakyat (Mara) also inked a strategic collaboration agreement with National Aerospace and Defence Industry Sdn Bhd (NADI) in developing competitive bumiputera human capital in high-technology aerospace industry. -- BERNAMA

Read more: Najib opens Lima 2011 - Latest - New Straits Times http://www.nst.com.my/latest/najib-opens-lima-2011-1.15726#ixzz1guLAvfoS

Sources : New Straits Times

 

Innovative showcase at agro expo

Farmers, breeders and fishermen learn how to use modern technology for better yields

1 / 4
THOUSANDS thronged the five-day "Johor Food and Agro Exposition" held recently at the Kluang Modern Agriculture Project Complex.
There were numerous booths which drew the crowd as expo participants featured food and beverage products which were new in the market.


Aptly themed "Innovative Farming -- A Catalyst To Development", those who turned up at the event learned about modern technology and how it can help them bring in a lucrative yield.


The atmosphere at the exposition was akin to a carnival, as those who turned up were not only from the agriculture sector but also families who took the opportunity to enjoy an outing there.


The event was held for the second time in conjunction with the state-level Farmers, Breeders and Fishermen Day celebrations.


Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman, who opened the event, said an allocation of RM1.5 million has been set aside for farmers involved with the integrated farming project in the state.


He said additional incentives amounting to RM500,000 has also been set aside for them.


"We want to ensure that Johor remains the main food producer in the country," Ghani said.


Johor has been contributing 46.8 per cent or RM1.3 billion annually to the country's main food for export commodity, compared with the country's export of RM2.8 billion.


As for greens, the production in Johor is 530,000 metric tonnes per year, while chicken egg production stood at three billion eggs worth RM1.6 billion in a year.


The state government is committed to helping farmers, breeders and fishermen and all those related to the agriculture and agro-based business.


"New technology will also boost the yields for this group of people who, in turn, help the State retain its position as the main food producer in the country," he said.


Also present were Agriculture and Agro-based Industries Minister Datuk Seri Noh Omar, Agriculture and Agro-based Industries committee chairman Datuk Abd Aziz Kaprawi and Fishermen's Association of Johor chairman, Mohamad Dolmat.


Ghani added that the Entrepreneur Development Programme (EDP), which has 2,066 members, has received aid worth RM7.1 million from the State Government, and this meant that the returns from their investments is more than RM50 million.


"We hope programmes like the EDP can motivate farmers, breeders and fishermen to be innovative and embrace the latest technology in their business," he said.




Read more: Innovative showcase at agro expo - Niexter - New Straits Times http://www.nst.com.my/channels/niexter/innovative-showcase-at-agro-expo-1.13194#ixzz1guGu5nqj


By CHUAH BEE KIM
JOHOR BARU
johor@nst.com.my

BEAUTY OF TECHNOLOGY

THE lure of staying young and beautiful for as long as one can, is keeping aesthetic medicine in the pink of health.

CO2 laser is being used to remove moles, and age spots.

Aesthetic medicine is primarily focused on the patho-physiology of ageing skin. Its practitioners are trained in both invasive and non-invasive treatments and use a combination of both to treat patients.


“Aesthetic medicine is gaining popularity in Malaysia, as is the trend
everywhere else in the world,” says aesthetic and laser physician Dr
Chin Shih Choon, who helms an anti-ageing and aesthetic centre in
Shah Alam, Selangor.


“Over the past 10 years, non-surgical aesthetic procedures have increased nearly 750 per cent, with consumers in the US spending more than US$12 billion (RM41 billion) on cosmetic procedures in 2006 alone.


“But in tough economic times, small aesthetic luxuries are in demand.
Consumers load up on affordable luxuries as a substitute for more expensive items, for example, laser lipolysis over surgical liposuction,
or dermal fillers over facelifts.”


Technology matters
Technology is a key feature of aesthetic medicine. “Aesthetic physicians use many hi-tech medical devices that allow doctors to treat many conditions that were unheard of just a decade ago. Who would have imagined we could erase lines and wrinkles, wiping away years from our
features with cosmetic lasers, botox and RF (radio frequency) equipment?” Dr Chin says.


Many aesthetic physicians also have turned to the Internet and use blogs and social networking tools such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn to
share information, he points out. “Doctors practising aesthetic medicine are alsoquick to adopt new technology in their rapidly evolving landscape. It is really an exciting time for us and also our clients.”


Among technologies used are cosmetic lasers, light devices, ultra-sound, RF and dermal infusion devices. Cosmetic lasers are widely used to treat
pigments, wrinkles, acne scars, vascular lesions and skin lesions as well as for hair removal, lipolysis and skin rejuvenation.


Light devices such as intense pulsed light are used to treat acnes, pigments and skin rejuvenation while ultra-sound is frequently used for non-invasive lipolysis.


RF-based medical devices are used to tighten the skin, remove cellulite and reduce localised fat. “RF is used to combat ageing by stimulating and restoring collagen and elastin that lie below the skin’s surface.


As the skin ages, the collagen fibres begin to stretch and the result is sagging skin,” Dr Chin explains. “The RF lift procedure works in two ways. First, it uniformly heats up the weaker collagen which causes it to immediately contract and thicken. Then it creates micro-injuries to the
dermis layer, which leads to the production of new collagen and elastin over the next several months.”


Risks


Aesthetic medicine is not without risks. For example, a laser can treat
pigmented lesions and birth marks or remove a tattoo safely in the hands of an expert. But if a laser device is used by an untrained person,
it can cause much damage such as intractable pigments and dangerous
infections, Dr Chin warns.


That’s why patients must always seek treatment only from qualified medical
practitioners. Those who want such information can get a list from the Health Ministry’s Web site or Malaysian Society of Aesthetic Medicine

Sources : New Strait Times

Technology rendering society cold

TECHNOLOGY has truly revolutionised human life. It has indeed made living hassle-free, easy, and above all, comfortable.

But all this has taken its toll on traditional human values like taking time to talk to each other, visiting friends and relatives, and attending marriages or funerals.

Today, we ask about each other’s health, convey congratulatory messages and New Year greetings by SMS or email. It has become the accepted norm.

In the past, we took time to meet friends and relatives to inquire about their health, and attend family functions and funerals. It was unacceptable for a person to not be personally present at social events.

But today, it is the other way around. I remember a relative of mine saying: “Just SMS me on your son’s wedding. That suffices, no need for a wedding invitation card.”

Basic human values and requirements are not being practised nowadays.

I remember a newspaper report stating that technology had led to parents and children spending less quality time with each other.

Studies show parents spend about eight minutes a day with their kids, mostly giving instructions and directives to carry out duties and daily chores.

Today, many spend more and more time on – or rather are obsessed with – technological gadgets like the Internet and mobile phones instead of in face to face communication.

Family members spend hours together – glued to the television screen and, sadly, not communicating with one another.

It is even reported that many spend hours on the Internet, chatting, browsing, updating Facebook and twitting. Parents even send email and SMS to their children even though they stay under the same roof.

It is a mockery, but a sad fact of life today. All these happen because each and every one of us is busy in our own way.

It is an irony that at times we call up friends staying far from us and chat for a long time, yet are not communicating with our spouses and children who are in our midst.

Our family members will value and appreciate the togetherness when we talk to and spend time with them.

A renowned anthropologist described man as a social being. I wonder whether such a definition holds true today.

Probably yes, but with socialising taking a different form, through technological gadgets and instruments.

It may be for the better or for worse. We are yet to know.

Dr S. NATHESAN,

Muar, Johor.

What technologies are up for 2012?

A little crystal-ball gazing to outline the Top Five technology trends to watch out for next year.

2011 is a year of significant IT innovation, with major advances in both consumer and business sectors. It is also the year of cloud computing. But as we say goodbye to this year, what does 2012 have in store for us?

There's BYOD (or Bring Your Own Device) that will change IT procurement. The company PC is becoming a thing of the past as businesses increasingly allow, and even encourage, employees to bring their domestic, consumer devices into the workplace and access corporate applications.

This will allow application availability at anytime, from anywhere, and will help business slash procurement costs. The smartphone/Tablet phenomenon will fuel this trend, and will drive uptake of Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI), wireless networking and end-point security solutions in the corporate arena.

However, it will create many problems for IT departments as they attempt to mitigate risk, and signals a tough future for PC and laptop manufacturers. Next year, I believe we will see at least one high-profile security disaster as a result of this trend, and that will be a wake-up call for companies to get proper security processes in place before unlocking their networks to all and sundry.

Sources : The Star

Proposed IT Bill may be dropped

PUTRAJAYA: If information technology (IT) professionals feel they do not need protection, the proposed Computing Professionals Bill 2011 could “end here”.

Deputy Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Datuk Fadillah Yusof said there was nothing “solid” yet and the ministry was still gathering views.

“That is why we had the open day.

“It is the first step and if industry players suddenly feel they need no protection or something to represent them, the initiative could just end here,” he said, adding that the Bill was aimed at uplifting the IT profession.

“It was mooted after a series of discussions with industry players who said they wished to see a body that represents and protects them,'' said Fadillah.

He likened it to bodies such as the Malaysian Medical Association and the Malaysian Institute of Architects.

“The ministry is just facilitating the process to set up such a body for IT professionals,” he told reporters after a memorandum of understanding signing ceremony with Saudi Arabia King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology here.

Meanwhile, the MCA Young Professionals Bureau has warned that the proposed Bill could potentially force companies to relocate or shut down due to a lack of human capital.

Bureau chairman Datuk Chua Tee Yong said the formation of the Board of Computing Professionals Malaysia would stifle innovation and creativity.

“The Bill's enactment will be counter-productive and will significantly shrink the talent pool so greatly needed by the industry.

“We cannot support it and therefore seek the withdrawal of the proposed legislation,” he said after presenting the bureau's views and comments on the matter to the ministry here yesterday.

Chua, who is also Deputy Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister, said the proposed Bill was against the objective of developing the industry under the 10th Malaysia Plan in which information and communications technology was one of the 12 National Key Economic Areas.

By ZUHRIN AZAM AHMAD
zuhrinazam@thestar.com.my

Technology: beyond the tangible

What defines our conception of technology, asks the writer

From the McLuhanist perspective, Facebook resonates with the myth of Narcissus.

1 / 1

We are missing the message.  I have, on several occasions, spoken about technology — at times in relation to the media, at others, linking it to democracy and culture.

Recently, I spoke at a seminar themed Science and Values on the topic of human rights in digital and cyber space.

My discourse narrowed down to Man and technology. And my question is: how do we understand technology?

My concern is our affair with technology, and with technology as a built-environment.

Have we educated ourselves correctly on this “thing” called technology?  We are efficient consumers of technology. Some 59 per cent are Internet users and slightly more than 39 per cent of Malaysians have Facebook accounts (www.internetworldstats.com/asia.htm).

Technology is not only defined as inventions and innovations within the confines of Information Communications Technology. It is just about anything that aids us as human beings. And we are defective beings.

We are handicapped in our perfections.  A pair of spectacles extends and perfects our sight — for those long- or short-sighted.

Radio extends our ear. Television, the Hubble space telescope and Google extend our vision to the ends of the Earth and the frontiers of the physical universe.

Transportation — land, sea and air — extends our limbs. Technology is prosthetics.

But what is this “thing” that defines our conception of technology?

Marshall McLuhan termed it as the extension of Man,  our nervous and sensory systems.

The medium is the message, so I stated in my last column (New Sunday Times, Oct 30).

It was deliberately meant for Steve Job’s innovations as well as the keroncong.

I taught a Science, Technology and Media course centred on Canadian media theorist Marshall McLuhan more than a decade ago. McLuhan and technology were also central to the Graduate

Seminar course in Mass Communication during the same period.

And I would always emphasise that we are media/technology par excellence. And inherently, technology has contributed to the dynamics of human civilisation.

At different stages  the various media such as clay, papyrus, parchment and paper generated and  monopolised knowledge  which was used to build, and also destroy thoughts and ideas.

But those media need other technologies, perhaps more fundamental and portent. These are the alphabet, language and writing traditions.

The computer or the mobile telephone cannot function without language. How technology affects us and how we are affected by it lies in language — a technology and a tool determining who we are and how we think.  

In another dimension, language as technology  pulls together other ideational forms — of culture,  the intellect and aesthetics, extending ourselves.  Technology as the extension of Man, and the medium as the message.

These are print-based representations of information. A medium simply offers different ways of representing information. Each medium is different – not equal or superior to each other.

Using McLuhan’s analysis of technology and the modern media leads to an awareness of the media environment and provides an understanding of technology and social life.

McLuhan’s career can be divided into several periods: his early years as a traditional literary critic, ending with the publication of his first book, The Mechanical Bride: Folklore of Industrial Man (1951); a transitional phase in the 1950s during which he adapted the work and edited the journal Explorations; and the mature stage of the 1960s, when he published his theories in the

Gutenberg Galaxy in 1962 and Understanding Media two years later, followed by several lesser works.  

In McLuhan, we see form over content and form as content. Media empiricists and social scientists would frown at McLuhan.

His explanation of “pure information” as manifested by the electric light is the epitome of a “medium without a message”, and which can only have content when interrelated with another medium.

McLuhan comments in Understanding Media: “The electric light escapes attention as a communication medium just because it has no ‘content’ and this make(s) it an invaluable instance of how people fail to study media at all. The message of the electric light is like the message of electric power in industry, totally radical, pervasive and decentralised.

“For electric light and power are separate from their uses, yet they eliminate time and space factors in human association, exactly as do radio, telegraph, telephone and TV, creating involvement in depth (1964: pages 24-25).”

Those among the mainstream media and communication academic community with a fetish for content would want to pause and reappraise their approach to inquiry.

The “content” of any medium is always another medium; or the content of media is less important than the impact of each medium at social, psychological and sensory levels. McLuhan’s famous phrase, “the medium is the message”, refers to the change of scale, pace or pattern that it introduces into human affairs.

The effects of media technology occur not on the conscious level of opinion and concepts, but on the subliminal level of sense ratios and patterns of perceptions.  

I first studied McLuhan more than three decades ago. Then he was a pop-culture celebrity, popular among hippies and the counter-culture movement. He repeatedly referred to “numbness”,

“trance”, “subliminal state”, “somnambulism” and “narcosis” induced by the media as extension of Man.  The media, as he had described it, is psychedelic.

McLuhan’s argument falls back to the significance of the Greek myth of Narcissus.

In chapter four of his Understanding Media, titled The Gadget Lover, McLuhan refers to the youth Narcissus who mistook his own reflection in the water for another person.  “The extension of himself by mirror,” writes McLuhan, “numbed his perceptions until he became the servomechanism of himself and had chosen a close system.”

McLuhan, who graduated in Engineering and later completed a MA and a PhD in English Literature from Trinity College, Cambridge University, died on the last day of 1980.

Digital emergence and cyber cultures such as Facebook were just a metaphor back then.

From the McLuhanist perspective, Facebook resonates with the myth of Narcissus.

He should be re-read in the original, more so due to the deliberate obfuscation and lack of linearity in his writings. The prophecy of technology has arrived.

The spirit is in the medium, not the content.

Read more: COMMENT: Technology: beyond the tangible - Learning Curve - New Straits Times http://www.nst.com.my/channels/learning-curve/comment-technology-beyond-the-tangible-1.11156#ixzz1gUWvKZDC

By Ahmad Murad Merican

Sabah mulls amending law on satellite info services

 KOTA KINABALU: Sabah Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Dr Yee Moh Chaisaid Saturday he would look into amending the law to enable the people to access information through satellite services.

Dr Yee, who is state resource development and information technology minister, said an opinion poll his ministry conducted showed that 99 percent of the people wanted freedom of access to information, especially through satellite services.

There was a growing need for the use of satellite services, through satellite dishes, in the remote areas of Sabah where telecommunications signals were weak, he told reporters after launching the "Siok Bah Broadband" carnival, here.

Earlier, at the event, Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) chairman Datuk Mohamed Sharil Tarmizi said that as of Nov 30, the Internet broadband household penetration in Sabah was at 32.7 per cent while Internet broadband subscription reached 293,400.

"This year, 19 community broadband centres (CBC), 23 mini CBCs and 131 WiFi villages were successfully established in Sabah," he said.

The text of his speech was delivered by MCMC Service and Support Chief Officer Tengku Zaib Raja Ahmad delivered the text of his speech.

Mohamed Sharil also said that 246 telecommunications towers were built and about 60,000 laptops were distributed under the Netbook 1Malaysia Programme in Sabah. - Bernama

Sources : The Star

China's leading the green race

With UN member nations dragging their feet on climate change, hopes rest on advances in green technology

A fishing boat on the dried up bed of Chaohu lake in China. China has now overtaken the United States as the world’s top polluter. AFP pic

1 / 1

CHINA has roared to the front of a green technology race that ultimately could do more to save the planet than the endless hours of United Nations negotiations, that year after year have failed to deliver an adequate response to climate change.

The latest climate talks in the South African port city of Durban, which dragged on in bitter debate into the weekend, might manage incremental steps towards a new treaty on limiting global warming.

But few expect them to deliver the kind of binding deal that would check a rise in temperature steep enough to turn farmland to desert and sink small island nations.

China, meanwhile, has overtaken the United States to become the world's biggest carbon emitter. It has also sped ahead in terms of investment in green technology.

"There is an informal green technology race, led by China, that may in the end be even more successful than that formal deal," said European lawmaker Jo Leinen, who is leading the European Parliament's delegation to the Durban talks.

"But in order to encourage countries, a formal deal may be helpful," he added, reflecting the European Union's view that there is still a need for an international treaty on carbon cuts as the best guarantee of positive change.

China invested US$54 billion (RM170 billion) in low carbon energy technology last year, compared with America's US$34 billion, the US Pew Environment Group said.

With a pressing need to provide food, fuel and water for the world's biggest population, China more than most can see the value of energy forms that limit the global warming that has already turned tracts of its land to desert.

India, the world's third biggest carbon emitter behind China and the US, has also begun moving towards green development.

Like China it is working on a market-based trading scheme to encourage energy efficiency and green power and has followed Beijing in setting a domestic goal for curbing its rise in carbon emissions.

But India's highest hopes are pinned on a massive solar energy drive. According to the Indian Solar Mission, introduced in 2009, solar power output by 2022 would be equivalent to one-eighth of India's current installed power base, helping Asia's third-largest economy after China and Japan to limit its reliance on coal.

Solar energy is fraught with problems, such as the need for huge initial investment.

But that could be a smaller challenge than getting a new binding deal to bring all nations into mandatory carbon cuts under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and its companion legislation, the Kyoto Protocol.

The clause making developed nations commit to emissions cuts expires at the end of next year and debate has raged over how to replace it, with rich and poor nations squabbling over how the cost and burden of climate action should be shared.

One obstacle has been the US, which did not ratify the Kyoto Protocol and has said it will not agree to any new accord unless all emitters are equally bound by it. At state level in the US, progress has been achieved towards emissions trading and green technology.

Nationally, environmental legislation has been systematically blocked as President Barack Obama's Democrats and Republicans squabble over green issues.

Some observers see that as an argument for an international deal that overrides the whims of short-term governments in favour of the long-term needs of the planet.

But US academic Roger Pielke of the University of Colorado, whose book The Climate Fix looks at why the world has failed to address global warming, says the international process is broken.

"Today, the pursuit of an international agreement is arguably an obstacle to action," he said.

"We have gotten confused about ends and means."

The magnitude and urgency of the task calls for a business-like response.

"Stabilising carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere requires that our global energy production becomes more than 90 per cent carbon-free. Today, it is about 15 per cent."

"The way to go from 15 per cent to more than 90 per cent is via technological innovation in energy production and consumption."

The UN climate legislation had been designed to encourage green innovation and could continue to do that with or without a new binding agreement on extending binding emissions cuts, he said.

But it could manage that without summit meetings, attended by nearly 200 ministers who argue through the night.

Even some firm believers in UN agreements accept the UN climate process needs to change.

Luis Alfonso de Alba, Mexico's climate special envoy, said he was gathering support for an amendment that would allow nations to force a vote on issues when consensus proves too difficult, in line with procedures in other UN bodies.

"It (the UN climate process) is probably one of the worst UN processes in terms of UN efficiency. The UN process can be much better. This is a process which is urgently in need of reform," said de Alba, who is also Mexico's permanent representative to the UN in New York.

"It takes too much financial and human effort. People meet too frequently all over the world.

"It has become a modus vivendi for some delegates." Reuters

Read more: China's leading the green race - Columnist - New Straits Times http://www.nst.com.my/opinion/columnist/china-s-leading-the-green-race-1.18192#ixzz1gmfd7FxF