Working hard to stay afloat
One indicator of how Covid-19 layoffs are affecting older workers can be seen among the urban poor. The most vulnerable groups are those with little savings and without social insurances or coverage by retirement savings insurances such as EPF or pensions. This is based on a retirement age of 55 and an average life expectancy of 75. The Silver Lining report recommends a number of policies to assist older workers, among them enhanced training and lifelong learning, encouraging the adoption of age-management strategies by companies, regulatory frameworks to facilitate part-time and flexible employment for older workers, and targeted wage subsidies to encourage employment of older workers. The report also suggests a long-term plan to increase the minimum retirement age gradually to 65.
Source:The Star
February 28, 2021 07:52 UTC
Award-winning Dutch author declines assignment to translate Amanda Gorman's works
A writer who was chosen to translate American poet Amanda Gorman's work into Dutch has handed back the assignment following criticism that a white author was selected to translate the words of a Black woman who is the youngest inaugural poet in US history. Marieke Lucas Rijneveld, who last year became the youngest writer to win the International Booker Prize with her novel The Discomfort Of Evening, announced the decision in a Twitter post recently. A Dutch translation of The Hill We Climb, the poem Gorman recited to wide acclaim at the inauguration of U.S. President Joe Biden, was scheduled to be released at the end of March by publisher Meulenhoff. Meulenhoff general director Maaike le Noble said in a statement that the publisher wants to learn from the experience. "We are going to look for a team to cooperate with to translate Amanda's words and message of hope and inspiration as well as possible and in her spirit, ” Le Noble said.
Source:The Star
February 28, 2021 06:56 UTC
Warren Buffett's US$10 billion mistake: Precision Castparts
NEW YORK (Feb 28): Warren Buffett makes mistakes too. The 90-year-old billionaire on Saturday admitted he "paid too much" when his Berkshire Hathaway Inc spent US$32.1 billion in 2016 to buy aircraft and industrial parts maker Precision Castparts Corp (PCC), its largest acquisition. Berkshire wrote off US$9.8 billion of PCC's value last August, as the coronavirus pandemic sapped demand for air travel and the Portland, Oregon-based unit's products. "I was wrong... in judging the average amount of future earnings and, consequently, wrong in my calculation of the proper price to pay for the business," Buffett wrote. "I admire Warren for taking personal responsibility for Precision Castparts," he said.
Source:The Edge Markets
February 28, 2021 03:45 UTC
Late HK actor Ng Man-tat's five most memorable roles
Legendary Hong Kong actor Ng Man-tat, who died February 27 of liver cancer at the age of 70, is best known for his comedic roles, most specifically those alongside Stephen Chow Sing-Chi. But Ng was more versatile than most movie fans give him credit for, having won several best supporting actor awards throughout his career. His performance as Rambo, a former triad member who has to resort to washing cars for a living, won Ng the Best Supporting Actor award at the 10th Hong Kong Film Awards in 1991. This movie is perhaps most famous for Chow and the late Anita Mui's chemistry. One of Ng's final roles, he very nearly turned it down because he was due for heart surgery at the time.
Source:The Star
February 28, 2021 02:01 UTC
Endless love yet can’t reach climax
Dr George Lee is a consultant Urologist and Clinical Associate Professor whose professional interest is in men’s health. The column “Ask Dr G” is a forum to help men debunk the myths and taboos on men’s issues that may be too “hard” to mention. You can send him questions at askdrg@thestar.com.my
Source:The Star
February 28, 2021 01:52 UTC
Q & A: What you need to know about the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine
The National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency (NPRA) addresses some questions regarding Comirnaty, the Covid-19 vaccine made by Pfizer-BioNTech. Q: Who should not get the Comirnaty vaccine? Q: How is the Comirnaty vaccine given? Q: Can individuals who had been infected by Covid-19 receive Comirnaty? A: Clinical vaccine trials of the Comirnaty vaccine have excluded the pregnant and those who are nursing their child.
Source:The Star
February 28, 2021 01:07 UTC
The passing of an icon
THE sudden passing of Prof Dr S. Ganakumaran (pic) on Feb 18 shocked and saddened many of us in the English language teaching fraternity. He was an icon and household name in the English language and English literature teaching community in the country. At the time, I was taking the Bachelor of Education in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) programme together with 20 other Malaysian English language teachers. Ganakumaran had written hundreds of letters, features, articles and papers on the teaching of English language and English literature. For a number of years, he had been the Malaysian English Language Teaching Association (MELTA) president, organising many conferences which provided a source of inspiration for English language teachers in the country.
Source:The Star
February 28, 2021 00:50 UTC
The pop star and her billionaire boyfriend
They touch the soul, nourish the mind, and give readers a better sense of their place in the world. For centuries, she stirred the imaginations of artists, writers and poets, who each put their own spin on the story. Must love solving riddles.”This was the 13-word personal advertisement that sparked the romance between billionaire Roy Solomon and pop star Sheba. This was something only the real mother would do, said Solomon, before he gave the baby to her. So date after date, she pelted him with questions, brain-teasers and riddles.
Source:The Star
February 28, 2021 00:45 UTC
What students think of DidikTV...
Subject: Bahasa MelayuTime slot: Feb 17 & 18(10–11am)The teacher – Cikgu Haslindar Nor – seemed extremely experienced and passionate about the subject. I also hope that closed captions will be included in future videos, as this is especially vital for students who have hearing problems or who live in a sound-sensitive environment. Nonetheless, this is a great effort implemented by our government to increase the accessibility of education for students nationwide. The hosts can be distracting but they help play the role of students answering the teacher’s questions, so the programme is not overly one-sided. DidikTV is a very good platform for students like me.
Source:The Star
February 28, 2021 00:27 UTC
Before DidikTV, there was ETV
Education Television, or better known as ETV and TV Pendidikan in Bahasa Malaysia, pioneered educational television programmes in the country upon its launch on June 19,1972. The primary aim of ETV, he told StarEdu, was to reach out to students in rural schools. Talks of implementing ETV programmes began in the mid 1960s. “It was cumbersome for teachers to complete their subject syllabus in between the time ETV programmes are aired. “To overcome this problem, we provided schools with copies of the programmes for students to watch according to the teachers’ preferred time.”Introducing initiatives like ETV or DidikTV requires planning, training and preparation, George who left his position as ETV head in the early 1990s, said.
Source:The Star
February 28, 2021 00:22 UTC
Karate kid shares SPM Maths tips
NATIONAL karate athlete Shahmalarani Chandran recently conducted an SPM Mathematics online workshop with over 1,000 secondary school students in attendance. Lastly, Shahmalarani believes that having a passion and eagerness to learn new techniques is important for both mathematics and karate students to progress in their learning. Part of The Risers, who serve as brand ambassadors of Taylor’s College, Shahmalarani carried out the online workshop on The Risers community-engagement portal. It was published online for students who took part in the online workshop, with a limited release of physical copies. For more SPM tips and workshop access, join The Risers and download the mobile app by Taylor’s College.
Source:The Star
February 27, 2021 23:48 UTC
Only an infusion of fresh blood can save democracy
Only then will the United States get an actual shot at moving toward the sort of unity of purpose that a functional democracy requires. That’s an open invitation for younger Americans. Research shows that polarisation increases much faster in democracies led by an executive who creates (or, in Trump’s case, recreated) a political party. Systemic change, even the urgent kind, takes time. But younger Americans can become more involved in politics right now, without having to plan a run for office.
Source:The Star
February 27, 2021 23:48 UTC
Whom does Facebook serve?
In early 2018, for example, Facebook suddenly recalibrated its algorithm to drastically reduce the reach of news media in its feed. Rech: Facebook has helped many people to connect and stay engaged with friends and family around the world. Just how does Facebook view its mission? Facebook has helped many people to connect and stay engaged with friends and family around the world. By avoiding this, Facebook is wasting an opportunity to move from being simply a big tech company to being a great one.
Source:The Star
February 27, 2021 23:37 UTC
Last minute pullouts pushes Joo Ven into main draw in Basel
PETALING JAYA: Independent shuttler Soong Joo Ven’s prayer to compete in the Swiss Open has been answered at the eleventh hour. And a delighted Joo Ven wasted no time in booking his flight ticket, albeit at double the price, and departed last night together with the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) squad for the event starting on Tuesday. I’m glad I made all the other travel arrangements in advance, ” said Joo Ven. After crashing out in the second round of his two previous Swiss Open outing in 2016 and 2018, Joo Ven hopes to do better. This trip to Europe wouldn’t have been possible if not for a kind-hearted businessman, ” said Joo Ven.
Source:The Star
February 27, 2021 23:26 UTC
Rallying for my friends
PETALING JAYA: Mixed doubles ace Chan Peng Soon has a heart of gold. “With this, Chan.Ger will be contributing 20% of profit from the total sales of the website orders to the Malaysia badminton independent players as training subsidies. Fans keen to support the independent players can buy the products via http://bit.ly/YourSupportOurGlory. “I hope that this group of passionate badminton players can still shine bright in the upcoming tournaments. Peng Soon-Liu Ying are currently seventh in the Race to Tokyo standings, ahead of Soon Huat-Shevon (11th) and Kian Meng-Pei Jing (13th) respectively.
Source:The Star
February 27, 2021 23:26 UTC