World Cup Prayer for England

In about four hours or so, the World Cup semi-final between England and Croatia will kick-off. 

Please, please, please let Croatia win!!! Even if I don’t actually support the latter.

I know England aim to join France in the Final – but it must not happen! It musn’t! It can't!

On Tuesday evening, Liverpool took on Tranmere Rovers in another friendly and they won 3-2. 

Again, Jurgen Klopp played two completely different sides for the meeting with their League Two neighbours – the first half XI kept the flag flying high and scoring three goals but the second half XI was worse than mediocre – they were adrift most times and even let in two goals.

I am sure Klopp was busy making notes.

The American Bully

The Donald Trump government are not adverse to bullying small countries – ready to use strong-arm tactics to have their way. Unashamedly shameless.

A resolution to encourage breast-feeding was tabled and then expected to be approved promptly by the hundreds of government delegates who gathered for the United Nations-affiliated World Health Assembly in Geneva, Switzerland. 

We all know that mother’s milk is healthiest for children and countries should strive to limit the inaccurate or misleading marketing of breast milk substitutes. And decades of research support this stance. 

Then shockingly, the United States delegation, presumably embracing the interests of infant formula manufacturers, upended the deliberations – according to The New York TImes on Sunday. 

We were told that American officials sought to blunt the resolution by deleting language that called on governments to “protect, promote and support breast-feeding” and another passage that called on policymakers to restrict the promotion of food products that many experts say can have deleterious effects on young children. 

When that failed, they turned to threats, according to diplomats and government officials who took part in the discussions. 

Ecuador, which had planned to introduce the measure, was the first to find themselves targeted. 

The Americans were blunt: If Ecuador refused to drop the resolution, Washington would unleash punishing trade measures and withdraw crucial military aid. 

The Ecuadorean government quickly acquiesced. 

The showdown over the issue was recounted by more than a dozen participants from a couple of countries, many of whom had requested anonymity because they feared retaliation from Big Brother. 

Health advocates scrambled to find another sponsor for the resolution – but at least a dozen countries, most of them from Africa and Latin America, backed off – intimidated by threats of reprisals. 

The above is tantamount to blackmail – the sole global superpower holding the world hostage and trying to overturn nearly 40 years of consensus on the best way to protect infant and young child health. 

Fortunately, the Americans’ efforts failed to gain traction. 

The Russians came to the rescue – they ultimately stepped in to introduce the measure. The US delegation shut up and did not threaten them. 

The confrontation was not the only example of the Trump administration siding with corporate interests on public health and environmental issues. 

During the same Geneva meeting where the breast-feeding resolution was debated, they succeeded in removing statements supporting soda taxes from a document that advises countries grappling with soaring rates of obesity. 

The Americans also sought, unsuccessfully, to thwart a WHO effort aimed at helping poor countries obtain access to lifesaving medicines. Washington, supporting the pharmaceutical industry, has long resisted calls to modify patent laws as a way of increasing drug availability in the developing world – but health advocates say the Americans have ratcheted up their opposition to these efforts. 

Even in talks to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement, the Americans have been pushing for language that would limit the ability of member countries to put warning labels on junk food and sugary beverages, according to a draft of the proposal reviewed by The New York Times. 

Donald Trump is a danger to the world.

Flying Car Debuts in Geneva

Image credits: https://www.dezeen.com/2018/03/13/worlds-first-commercial-flying-car-unveiled-at-geneva-motor-show/ 

Image credit: https://www.ctvnews.ca/autos/a-flying-car-will-make-its-debut-at-farnborough-international-airshow-1.4004630

If you happen to be stuck in a traffic gridlock right now, wouldn't you wish you can switch to "fly"-mode and escape from the maddening road congestion? 

Well, Dutch aircraft manufacturer Pal-V have launched a flying car that can convert from 'drive to flight' in under 10 minutes. 

Billed as the "world's first flying car production model", the Pal-V Liberty debuted at the Geneva Motor Show (March 08-18, 2018). 

Pal-V described it as "a car that flies" and "a plane that drives." 

It is certified to fly under the US Federal Aviation Administration and the European Aviation Safety Agency, and also meets standard road-safety requirements. 

The hybrid vehicle has a 200-horsepower engine that can reach driving speeds of up to 160 kilometres per hour in nine seconds, and a maximum flying speed of 180 kilometres per hour. 

It accommodates a driver and one passenger, and drivers will need a licence to both fly and drive the roadable aircraft. 

After Geneva, the product is going through the final step of the safety certification process, meaning it could be on the roads and in the skies by next year - if all goes well. 

"The production model is the moment of truth", said Pal-V CEO Robert Dingemanse. "A production model is the last stage in the research and development process before starting full production and delivery". 

However, the vehicle is already available to buy. The limited-edition Pioneer design, manufactured in a limited edition of 90, was the first PAL-V Liberty model on the market, retailing for €499,000 (approximately £444,000). 

The PAL-V Liberty Sport models will be made available next. This will offer less personalisation of features such as carbon-fibre detailing and dual controls, but will come at a lower price of €299,000 (about £265,000). 

The vehicle will be more affordable to own and operate than a standard helicopter, while also being able to operate as a car. Besides, costly hangar space is also spared, since owners can park the vehicle in a garage.

PAL-V are by no means the first company that have tried to put a flying car into mainstream production.

Aircraft manufacturer Bell Helicopter have revealed the cabin for an electric, self-piloting air taxi at the International Consumer Electronics Show (January 08-12, 2018) in Las Vegas, USA – designed for Uber's scheduled 2020 aircraft taxi service. 

And Airbus' autonomous, electric passenger drone successfully made its first test flight a month later. 

But Pal-V believe they are ahead of their rivals, because their Liberty model doesn't rely on entirely new or immature technologies – which would take a long time to regulate. 

"Our design philosophy of complying with existing road and air regulations saved us many years in time to market", said chief engineer Mike Stekelenburg. 

Pal-V guarantee safety for the vehicle. In adverse weather conditions, it can switch from flying to driving. It can also take off from either concrete or grass airstrips – it just requires a space for take-off of between 90 and 200 metres. 

Thanks to a dual-engine propulsion drive train, based on two fully airplane engines by Rotax, the probability of power failure is expected to be very slim. But if this were to happen in the air, Pal-V said that the underlying gyroplane technology would guarantee a safe landing. 

The PAL-V Liberty will take flight at the Farnborough International Airshow, taking place July 16 to 22 in the UK. 

A 3D-Printed House in Nantes

The 3D-printed house in Nantes, France. Image credit: BBC News, July 06, 2018

Nantes in France claims to have the first 3D-printed house ever. 

Yes, you read it correctly – a comfortable residence built in situ for human habitation using a patented 3D printing method called BatiPrint3D, developed by researchers at the University of Nantes.

Basically, they use a laser-guided, four-meter-long robotic arm to deposit layers of different construction materials in a pre-determined shape. Unlike other 3D printing construction processes which exclusively deposit concrete mixtures to build walls, the BatiPrint3D robotic printer extrudes three types of layers: one formwork layer made of a foam-like material, an insulating layer, and a structuring layer made from a special 3D printable concrete mixture.

The four-bedroom property, a collaboration between the University of Nantes, Bouygues Construction, Lafarge Holcim, the Nantes Métropole Habitat organization, and TICA architectes & urbanistes – is a prototype for bigger projects aiming to make housebuilding quicker and cheaper. 

According to BBC News, the 95 square meter (1022-square-foot) house took a scant 54 hours to print – with an additional four months for contractors to incorporate windows, doors and the roof and related add-ons. 

The final bill is $207,000 (£176,000) and this makes it 20% cheaper than an identical construction using more traditional solutions. 

The team now believes they could print the same house again in only 33 hours.

The house was the brainchild of Benoit Furet (right), who heads up the project at University of Nantes. He thinks that in five years they will reduce the cost of the construction of such houses by 25% while adhering to building regulations, and by 40% in 10 to 15 years. 

This is partly because of the technology becoming more refined and cheaper to develop and partly because of economies of scale as more houses are built. 

Printing, he adds, also allows architects with greater creative freedom since it lets them use free-flowing shapes in their design. And this particular abode in Nantes was built to curve around the 100-year-old protected trees on the plot. 

Furthermore, the curve improves the home's air circulation, reducing potential humidity and improving thermal resistance. 

The building in Nantes was also designed for disabled people, with wheelchair access and the ability for everything to be controlled from a smartphone. 

Better still, it is also more environmentally-friendly because the building process doesn't create as much waste as conventional construction processes produce. 

The Y-shaped dwelling is equipped with multiple sensors that monitor air quality, humidity and temperature, as well as equipment to evaluate and analyze the thermal properties of the building. And researchers believe this technology will enable tenants to save on energy costs. 

Image credit: Webpage https://www.3ders.org/articles/20180327-frances-3d-printed-yhnova-house-to-welcome-first-residents-this-june.html 

The outline of the four bedrooms and the big central space is created. Image credit: BBC News, July 06, 2018 

The printer is then used to print layers from the floor upwards to form the walls. Image credit: BBC News, July 06, 2018 

The space in-between the two printer blocks is filled with cement to form the wall. Image credit: BBC News, July 06, 2018

Francky Trichet, the council's lead on technology and innovation, says the purpose of the project was to see whether this type of construction could become mainstream for housing, and whether its principles could be applied to other communal buildings.

"For 2,000 years there hasn't been a change in the paradigm of the construction process. We wanted to sweep this whole construction process away", he says.

He believes the process will disrupt the construction industry.

Image credits: BBC News, July 06, 2018

Furet is now working on a project to 3D-print 18 houses in Paris, as well as a 700 square meter (7,500-square-foot) commercial building.

In yesterday’s World Cup quarter-final, Sweden were a big let-down and so England came out tops with an easy 2-0 win. 

In the other game, Russia and Croatia both held onto a 2-2 draw but the hosts’ unexpected World Cup run had to end when the latter won 4-3 on penalties. 

At the same time as England were playing in Russia, I also kept my eye on the friendly game between Liverpool and Chester which was on at the same time. Of course, the Reds cruised to a 7-0 victory. 

A really nice start to pre-season. 

BTW, Jurgen Klopp had two different line-ups for the two halves in the match.

A Suicide That Didn't Succeed

Webpage https://badboyturnedgood.com/2017/08/12/suicide-is-not-the-answer/

Malaysia’s New Straits Times had reported that a Form 3 student drank a bottle of herbicide paraquat, which he allegedly found in a toilet at his school in Buntong, Ipoh in Perak – in an apparent suicide attempt. 

He was rushed to the Raja Permaisuri Bainun Hospital by a teacher on June 28, 2018 after he was found vomiting. He is now said to be in stable condition. 

Thankfully, he survived – but what about the others who couldn’t be reached in time and who couldn’t be saved? 

We are not taking suicide seriously because we are not taking the issue of mental health seriously.

Webpage https://www.gemeente.nu/sociaal/suicide-preventie-netwerk-start-zeeland/
 

A BBC News report by Sean Coughlan published on April 13, 2018 raised the alarm that in the UK, the suicide rate among students is higher than among the general population of their age group. 

The article cited Hong Kong-based researchers who suggested that student suicide rates increased by 56% – from 6.6 to 10.3 per 100,000 of the population after they analyzed student suicides between 2007 and 2016. 

The 2016 figures showed 146 student suicides, the highest in records going back to 2001. Between 2001 and 2007, there had been a pattern of falling numbers, but since then numbers have tended to rise. 

These figures however, did not specify the type of "student", whether at university or some other form of study. 

But the Office for National Statistics rightly cautioned that this data "cannot be used to ascertain the risk of suicide among students". 

Still, Edward Pinkney, who tracked student suicide data and co-authored the analysis said: "This is the first time we can conclusively say that as far as suicide is concerned, there is a real problem in higher education". 

Already, an Institute of Public Policy Research analysis had suggested that almost five times as many students as 10 years ago have disclosed a mental health condition to their university (BBC News, September 04, 2017). 

In 2015-16, more than 15,000 UK-based first-year students disclosed mental health issues while the 2006 figure was about 3,000 – the rise risks overwhelming university services, the IPPR claimed. 

Universities UK said student mental health was "a strategic priority". 

Anthony Seldon, vice-chancellor of the University of Buckingham and a campaigner on student well-being, said: "Student suicide rates and emotional distress levels could be reduced at university if we acted differently”. 

He maintained that "more support in transitions, better tutoring and early warning, more peer to peer support, an enhanced sense of belonging, would all enhance wellbeing and reduce risk”. 

And he added: "We are obsessed by reactive policy once students hit the bottom of the waterfall; we need to be putting preventative policies in place to prevent them ever tipping over the edge". 

Rightly so. Malaysian schools and colleges and universities will do well to pay heed to this advice.

Pakatan Harapan Fail Women

Pakatan Harapan have failed to fulfil their pledge to have 30 percent women’s representation in the government. 

Thus far, there are only five women as full ministers and four as deputies. 

The ministers are Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, who is both deputy prime minister and women and family development minister, Rina Harun (rural and regional development), Zuraida Kamaruddin (housing and local government), Teresa Kok (primary industries) and Yeo Bee Yin (technology, science, climate change and environment). 

The deputy ministers are Hannah Yeoh (women and family development), Teo Nie Ching (education), Isnaraissah Munirah Majilis (technology, science, climate change and environment), and Fuziah Salleh (Islamic affairs). 

With five women among the 26 ministers, the gender’s representation is only 19 percent of the Cabinet; the representation is lower still among deputy ministers, at just 16 percent. 

Of course, PH did previously said it would be difficult to deliver on the 30 percent election manifesto pledge – so DON’T make promises you can’t keep! 

On Tuesday, Sweden disposed Switzerland 1-0. And then England drew 1-1 against Colombia before sigh! winning 4-3 in a shootout. 

Therefore, Sweden and England are the last two of the eight teams to qualify for the quarter-finals.

Trimming the Fat in the PM's Department

The bloated Prime Minister’s Department has over 90 agencies and departments. 

It is good to know that the Pakatan Harapan government are undertaking a massive overhaul – and we can expect to see the number reduced to only 26 entities. 

According to the Star on Monday, forty will be re-designated to other ministries, five will be merged and 10 entities, which have 19 offices and task forces under their wings will be abolished. 

Nine have been given the green light to operate as independent bodies, reporting directly to Parliament: 

The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), the Election Commission (EC), Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam), the National Audit Department, Public Service Commission, Education Service Commission and the Judicial Appointments Commission. 

The Attorney General’s Chambers will remain under the PMD but the prosecuting functions have been placed under the Public Prosecutor’s Office – which will now report to Parliament. 

And the Malaysian Parliament, which was also under the PMD, are an independent entity now. 

This key move sends the message that these institutions are meant to serve the rakyat, and not the government of the day. 

The next step is to establish a Parliamentary Select Committee to oversee the said institutions. 

This has to be one of the many institutional reforms that Pakatan Harapan promised Malaysians, 

At the World Cup’s knock-out matches played on Monday, two teams that are progressing to the last 8 are Brazil and Japan – the former thwarted Mexico to win 2-0 and the latter lost out to Belgium 2-3.

Sigh, no giant killing yesterday.

The Malaysian Cabinet as at July 02, 2018

Today, the rest of the Cabinet – well, nearly – have been announced and sworn in: 

It seems that there are 3 more positions to be filled. 

Scrutinizing the Cabinet line-up, what is missing is a minister and three deputy ministers. 

PM Mahathir Mohamad himself said these are positions reserved for those who will be appointed as senators.

Anyway, Malaysians just want the Cabinet to get the job done! And that they keep their promises too!

I have always enjoyed teaching Marketing because I am not only a marketer but I also have a passion for Marketing. 

Anyway, I had two classes, i.e. June 10 and July 01, 2018 for an OUM Diploma program and this batch of students just love to take photos (and even wefies)!

What Can RM1.1 Billion Buy

The RM1.1 billion worth of valuables that police stumbled on in Najib Razak-linked properties is mind-boggling! 

I can’t even begin to fathom how much is RM1.1 billion – it makes me painfully aware that I am on the breadline, well nearly! 

But really, what can RM1.1 billion buy?

At the World Cup on Saturday, the excitement finally arrived and what a game! Two teams, France and Argentina battled it out. And the former knocked out the South Americans 4-3. 

Somebody commented that "the rest of the knockout games will have a lot to live up to"!