PETALING JAYA: Since the start of the conditional movement control order in May, the amount of time Malaysians spent at home has mostly been on a downward trend even as Covid-19 cases soared in the past few months. Read full story
JOHOR BARU: As the Covid-19 spotlight is now on foreign workers nationwide, some foreigners have resorted to buying fake negative Covid-19 swab test results to allow them to work. Read full story
PETALING JAYA: Malaysia reported a record high 2,525 Covid-19 cases on the last day of 2020, bringing the total number of cases in the country to 113,010. Read full story
CAIRO (Reuters) - Islamic State has claimed responsibility for a knife attack on police on Monday in the capital of Russia’s southern Chechnya region, Al-Naba newspaper affiliated with the group said on Friday. Read full story
SAO PAULO, Dec. 31 (Xinhua) – Two cases of the new strain of COVID-19 detected in the United Kingdom have been identified in the Brazilian city of Sao Paulo, leading authorities on Thursday to call for stepped up measures to curb the spread. Read full story
SAO PAULO, Dec. 31 (Xinhua) – Brazil registered 1,074 deaths from the novel coronavirus disease in the last 24 hours, pushing the national death toll to 194,949, the Ministry of Health said Thursday. Read full story
CHICAGO, Dec. 31 (Xinhua) – Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) agricultural futures closed mixed on Thursday, with corn and soybean rising and wheat slipping. Read full story
WASHINGTON, Dec. 31 (Xinhua) – The number of initial jobless claims in the United States fell to 787,000 last week, the lowest level in a month, the Labor Department reported on Thursday. Read full story
SANTIAGO, Dec. 31 (Xinhua) – The Chilean Ministry of Health reported on Thursday 3,022 new cases of COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, the highest number since July 10, when it registered 3,058. Read full story
Some of 2020’s biggest technology winners have a common thread: Besides being top performers, these companies are all market leaders that benefitted from trends that were supercharged by the pandemic. Read full story
You can celebrate New Year’s Eve in Times Square thanks to a new application, which partygoers from all over the world can download for free. Read full story
NEW YORK, Dec. 31 (Xinhua) – U.S.-listed Chinese companies traded mostly lower on Thursday with seven of the top 10 stocks by weight in the S&P U.S. Listed China 50 index ending the day on a downbeat note. Read full story
NEW YORK, Dec. 31 (Xinhua) – Wall Street’s major averages finish higher on Thursday as investors digested the newly-released U.S. jobless claims numbers. Read full story
ZURICH (Reuters) - The World Health Organization on Thursday listed the COVID-19 vaccine from Pfizer and BioNTech for emergency use, saying the move opens the door for countries to expedite their own approvals to import and give the shot. Read full story
BRASILIA, Dec. 31 (Xinhua) – Brazil’s government on Thursday announced it was raising the minimum wage for 2021, from 1,045 reals (201 U.S. dollars) to 1,100 reals (212 U.S. dollars). Read full story
QUITO, Dec. 31 (Xinhua) – Ecuador’s Ministry of Public Health on Thursday reported 1,000 new daily COVID-19 cases and four fatalities, raising the total number of cases to 212,512 and the death toll to 9,473. Read full story
NEW YORK, Dec. 31 (Xinhua) – Total COVID-19 hospitalizations rose to 7,935 on Wednesday in New York state, up from 7,892 on Tuesday, tweeted Governor Andrew Cuomo on Thursday. Read full story
NEW YORK, Dec. 31 (Xinhua) – Oil prices finished higher on Thursday, but suffered massive losses for the year, as pandemic-induced lockdowns and mobility restrictions hammered fuel demand. Read full story
SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 30 (Xinhua) – Governor of the U.S. state of Washington Jay Inslee on Wednesday announced a one-week extension of the “Stay Safe-Stay Healthy” proclamation, along with the statewide restrictions on in-person gatherings and business activities due to the surging COVID-19 pandemic across the state. Read full story
HOUSTON, Dec. 30 (Xinhua) – The number of active drilling rigs in the United States increased by three to 351 rigs this week, down by 445 year on year, according to the weekly data released Wednesday by Houston-based oilfield services company Baker Hughes. Read full story
Facebook confirmed on Dec 30 that it was closing its Irish subsidiaries at the centre of a dispute on profit shifting to avoid taxes in the United States. Read full story
As of Jan 1, 2021, the WhatsApp mobile application will only be compatible with smartphones running iOS 9 and Android 4.0.3, or any other newer operating system. Read full story
STOCKHOLM, Dec. 30 (Xinhua) – Sweden’s Public Health Agency has for the first time issued recommendations for wearing face masks on public transport, but only during weekday rush hours. Read full story
(Reuters) - Dawn Wells, who parlayed her girl-next-door charm and wholesome beauty into enduring TV fame as the sweet-natured desert island castaway Mary Ann on the classic 1960s sitcom “Gilligan’s Island,” died on Wednesday at age 82, her publicist said. Read full story
NEW YORK, Dec. 30 (Xinhua) – The U.S. dollar weakened in late trading on Wednesday as market participants continued to assess the possibility of larger U.S. fiscal stimulus. Read full story
NEW YORK, Dec. 30 (Xinhua) – New York City’s COVID-19 test positivity rate on a seven-day average climbed to 7.93 percent, compared with 7.45 percent one day earlier, Mayor Bill de Blasio tweeted on Wednesday. Read full story
NEW YORK, Dec. 30 (Xinhua) – U.S. COVID-19 deaths surpassed 340,000 on Wednesday afternoon, according to the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University. Read full story
(Reuters) - Argentina’s regulator on Wednesday approved the COVID-19 vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University for emergency use, AstraZeneca said in a statement. Read full story
LONDON (Reuters) - The EU drug watchdog is looking at when people should be given the second dose of AstraZeneca and Oxford University’s COVID-19 vaccine, rather than at the size of the first dose, as part of its review of the shot, a source at the agency said on Wednesday. Read full story
BIHAC, Bosnia (Reuters) - Hundreds of migrants from Africa, Asia and the Middle East were left stranded in the open air on Wednesday when an attempt to relocate them to another site in Bosnia after fire wrecked their temporary camp failed, police and migrants said. Read full story
OTTAWA, Dec. 30 (Xinhua) – Ontario and Quebec, the two most populous provinces in Canada, reported single-day records of new cases of COVID-19 Wednesday morning. Read full story
BEIJING, Dec. 30 (Xinhua) – China has recently rolled out a comprehensive development plan on the cultural and tourism development for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, said the Ministry of Culture and Tourism on Wednesday. Read full story
HOUSTON, Dec. 30 (Xinhua) – U.S. crude oil imports decreased while exports increased during the week ending Dec. 25, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) said Wednesday. Read full story
BEIJING, Dec. 30 (Xinhua) – The investment treaty between China and the European Union (EU) will bring more investment opportunities for companies from both sides and provide better business environment by making high-level market access commitments and adopting high-level fair competition rules, China’s Ministry of Commerce (MOC) said Wednesday. Read full story
NEW YORK, Dec. 30 (Xinhua) – The long-awaited expansion of Penn Station, a major city and interstate rail-transit hub in New York, into the James A. Farley Post Office Building will be completed by New Year’s Eve and trains will roll into the new Moynihan Train Hall starting Jan. 1, according to New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo at a ceremony held in the new hall on Wednesday. Read full story
Sometimes Standard View Orientation, Projected Views or Auxiliary Views will not get you the view results your trying to accomplish. There are other techniques for creating custom view orientation. New […]
Terdapat beberapa jenama luar yang sangat sinonim dengan rakyat Malaysia sehingga ianya dianggap berakar umbi daripada negara kita. Bukan itu sahaja, nama serta produk yang ditawarkan juga sangat dekat dengan rakyat Malaysia.
Walau bagaimanapun tahukah anda, terdapat beberapa jenama luar yang dianggap berasal daripada Malaysia. Apakah jenama-jenama tersebut?
1. Ayam Brand
Mendengar sahaja nama Ayam Brand pasti ramai yang beranggapan bahawa jenama ini berasal daripada Malaysia. Hal ini mungkin berpunca daripada penggunaan perkataan ‘ayam’ yang digunakan sebagai pangkal nama.
Buat pengetahuan anda semua, Ayam Brand digagaskan pada tahun 1892 di Singapura oleh seorang warganegara Perancis iaitu Alfred Clouet.
Ketika itu, Ayam Brand hanya membekalkan makanan kepada pekerja-pekerja koloni sahaja. Hal ini demikian kerana makanan dalam tin dianggap sebagai makanan kayangan yang sukar dibeli oleh rakyat marhaen.
Hari ini, Ayam Brand dimiliki oleh Denis Group yang berpangkalan di Singapura dan memiliki beberapa kilang di Malaysia.
Ayam Brand juga merupakan membekal utama makanan dalam tin di sekitar Asia merangkumi Malaysia, Singapura, Brunei, Thailand, Indonesia dan Hong Kong. Senang cerita, Ayam Brand adalah jenama milik Singapura.
2. Milo
Milo merupakan jenama minuman berasaska coklat yang sangat dikenali dan disayangi oleh rakyat Malaysia. Ramai diantara kita pastinya teringat kembali nostalgia lori Milo yang selalu hadir ke sekolah memberi secawan air kegembiraan.
Walau bagaimanapun, Milo bukanlah jenama yang berasal daripada Malaysia. Malahan, air minuman ini boleh didapati secara mudah diseluruh dunia cuma rasanya yang sedikit berbeza.
Tahukah anda, Milo diasaskan ketika The Great Depression sedang melanda dunia dimana kanak-kanak menderita kehilangan zat akibat kekurangan makanan.
Hal ini telah memberi rausyanfikir kepada Thomas Mayne iaitu seorang saintis makanan Nestle Australia untuk menghasilkan minuman malt coklat untuk meningkatkan tenaga kanak-kanak.
Nama Milo pula diilhamkan daripada seorang atlet gustri Greek yang terkenal iaitu Milo of Croton.
Hari ini, Milo telah menjadi sebahagian daripada sejarah rakyat Malaysia sejak 60 tahun yang lalu. Malahan ramai atlet kebangsaan yang bermula daripada program sukan yang dianjurkan oleh Milo.
Jadi tidak pelik apabila jenama ini dianggap sebagai milik Malaysia walaupun digagaskan di Australia.
3. Maggi
Maggi sangat sinonim dengan rakyat Malaysia terutamanya mereka yang bergelar pelajar dan mahasiswa. Hal ini demikian kerana harganya yang murah memang menjadi pilihan pelajar untuk dinikmati apabila kantung kewangan mereka semakin menipis.
Kepelbagaian perisa juga sangat menarik perhatian seperti Kari, Ayam, Tom Yam, Asam Laksa dan Sup Tulang. Hal ini terus melahirkan tanggapan bahawa jenama ini berakar umbi dari Malaysia.
Salah tanggapan tersebut kerana Maggi merupakan sebuah jenama yang digagaskan di Switzerland oleh Julius Maggi pada tahun 1887.
Tujuan Maggi diasaskan pada asalnya adalah untuk membekal makanan berkhasiat yang murah kepada golongan pekerja ketika tercetusnya revolusi perindustrian.
Sejak daripada itu, Maggi terus mendapat permintaan yang tinggi sehinggalah diilhakan oleh Nestle pada 1947.
Nestle terus memegang aspirasi Julius Maggi untuk menghasilkan produk berkhasiat yang cukup murah. Hasilnya hari ini, produk Maggi sangat mudah didapati sehingga dianggap milik Malaysia.
4. Bata
Pasti ramai yang beranggapan Bata adalah jenama milik Malaysia malahan kita juga mesti pernah memiliki kasut bata.
Hal ini telah menyebabkan ramai beranggapan memakai bata adalah tidak mengikut trend. Perkara seumpama ini juga menjangkiti pelajar sekolah apabila mereka lebih gemar memakai Converse berbanding Bata.
Buat pengetahuan anda semua, Bata telah digagaskan oleh tiga orang saudara iaitu Anna, Thomas dan Antonin melalui pembinaan kilang kasut di Zlin, Czechoslovakia.
Dalam tempoh masa beberapa dekad, Bata berjaya menjadi salah satu pengedar kasut yang ikonik di Eropah.
Hari ini, Bata berjaya memiliki 5000 cawangan di lebih 70 negara termasuklah Malaysia. Malahan Bata juga menjadi pilihan beberapa figura penting seperti selebriti dan juga tokoh politik.
5. Pilot
Ketika zaman sekolah dahulu, memiliki shaker berjenama Pilot adalah impian hampir setiap murid terutamanya lekaki. Siapa yang memiliki shaker pada ketika itu boleh dianggap sebagai golongan kayangan lantaran harganya agak mahal.
Malahan sang pemiliki shaker juga memiliki risiko yang tinggi untuk kehilangan barangan tersebut jika lalai dalam menjaganya. Hal itu telah membuatkan ramai beranggapan Pilot merupakan jenama yang berasal daripada Malaysia.
Salah tanggapan tersebut kerana Pilot merupakan jenama yang digagaskan di Jepun oleh Ryosuke Namiki dan Masao Wada pada tahun 1918.
Bermula sejak itu, Pilot dianggap sebagai pelopor kepada penghasilan alatan untuk penulisan. Hari ini, Pilot telah digunakan oleh seantero dunia terutamanya di Jerman, Perancis dan United Kingdom.
Artikel boleh juga dibaca di laman portal kewangan dan ekonomi kami iaitu The Outlook.
Bio: Grace is a content writer and sustainability enthusiast who shares tips and the latest information on actionable ways to reduce our carbon footprints atwww.tinyfootmovement.com
If you’ve ever thought about living off the grid, the good news is, it’s probably easier than ever to pick up, move somewhere out of the city, and start living more sustainably as a family.
That said, there are some key things to consider in order to make the transition successfully. Moving off the grid requires a ton of planning, no matter where in the world you are (though it will probably be a tad more involved if you want to move somewhere that doesn’t have off-grid communities already).
In places where real estate prices have gone through the roof, such as Australia and New Zealand, families and work-from-homers are discovering the possibilities that living off the grid can afford, both financially and also from a sustainability point of view.
So, if you’re intrigued by the idea of living off the grid, keep reading to find out what key essentials you should have a plan for first.
A power supply
Even if you do want to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city, and not be on the Internet so much, you’ll still need some way to generate electricity.
You’ll have to power everyday appliances like:
Your lights
Your fridge (a biggie)
Any small appliances (like a coffee maker or toaster oven)
Chargers for your phone and computer
And more…
For off-grid families, solar power is probably the most common method of being self-sufficient and creating your own electricity.
Not only is the cost of going solar decreasing steadily, there’s an ever-growing number of excellent portable options too, which is perfect if you’re planning to move around while off-grid:
Other than solar power, there are other sustainable forms of energy too, like wind and hydro.
If you happen to live near a stream or flowing water, there are micro hydropower setups that are designed for homes and allow you to generate clean energy.
Some folks even have both a solar power setup and also wind or hydro to supplement their electricity needs on days when there isn’t a lot of sun.
A place to live
Finding a good place to live is perhaps even more important when you want to live off-grid, as opposed to when you’re just living in an apartment or house.
The main reason for this is because there tends to be quite a few rules and regulations that’ll affect different aspects of your lifestyle. For instance, in some states, there are laws restricting your ability to collect rainwater. In others, you’ll need a license or permit in order to hunt for sustenance.
Certain states are definitely better for off-grid living than others, so make sure you’ve done your research on the off-grid laws once you’ve narrowed your shortlist of potential cities or states down!
Water supply
One of the biggest questions when it comes to an off grid must-haves is “How will you get water to drink?”
And then once you’ve figured that out, it’s time to think about where you’ll get water for showering, washing your clothes, and cleaning your food.
So, the first step is to think about where to get your drinking water. You have a few options:
If you live in an area that gets a decent amount of rain, you could have a large rainwater collection tank (there are tanks that range from a few thousand gallons to a whopping ten thousand gallons, depending on what your family needs)
You could drill a well—this would probably require a bit of preparation in terms of analyzing the water table where you live and getting permits
Food
Will you hunt? Trap? Grow your own food?
If you’re living off the grid, you could still by all means make a trip to the store to buy pantry basics and other food necessities from time to time.
But if you want to garden and grow your own vegetables, for instance, you’ll have to plan well in advance. Here are a few questions to get you started:
How big of a garden plot do you have?
Will you be able to support your crops with enough compost? (If you plan on raising livestock or having farm animals, skip the fertilizer and look into home-composting options like compost tumblers instead—it’s not only cheaper but also more environmentally friendly)
Will you have enough water to spare to water your plants and crops?
What’s your growing season like? (If you live in an area with really harsh winters and a short growing season, then relying on growing your own food may not be the best idea)
A toilet!
Okay, once you’ve figured out what to do about the essential essentials, it’s time to take a look at another very important part of off-grid life that will be very different from living in a traditional home: the toilet.
Most of us are used to flush toilets—but when you’re not hooked up to water services from the nearest town or city, it really becomes clear just how much water a flush toilet requires.
And an off-grid must-have is, of course, a non-flush toilet. Composting toilets are probably the most popular type of non-flush toilet, but did you know there are also other types of toilets, like incinerating toilets?
Let’s dig into the advantages and disadvantages of each one.
Composting toilet – pros:
No energy source needed
Relatively easy to hook up
Homemade black gold — perfect for fertilizing your garden
New composting toilet models today are actually odorless! (Provided you keep up with the relatively easy maintenance)
Doesn’t use any water! (This is a big reason why composting toilets are becoming super popular in places like Australia which experience droughts)
Composting toilet – cons:
You’ll have to empty it periodically and it’s not the most pleasant thing in the world to do
Incinerating toilet – pros:
Waste gets incinerated into about a spoon of ash at a time, and all you have to do is empty the ash about once a month
Like composting toilets, incinerating toilets also don’t use any water!
Could help your case if you live in a mobile tiny home that’s off the grid and want to rent a parking spot from a landlord. Why? Because landlords typically will care about what you do with your home’s waste—and since all you get is ash, that’s relatively easy to deal with
Incinerating toilet – cons:
You’ll need gas or an electricity source to power the toilet’s incinerating function!
Because it does require energy, it’s not quite as environmentally friendly as a composting toilet
Might cost you more in the long run because of the energy requirements / technology involved
Do you have your off-grid must-haves ready?
There you have it: five must-haves for off-the-grid life.
Start by making a plan for how you’ll take care of these five considerations first, then move on to your other needs for off-grid living, such as nifty solar gadgets, energy-efficient appliances, and winter-proofing measures.
In 2020’s general election, Nevada voters approved Question 6. Question 6 amends the state’s constitution to require Nevada’s electricity providers to shift to a minimum of 50 percent renewable energy by 2030. In total, 747,581 people voted yes, which came out to 57.94 percent approval. 542, 654 voted no, which came out to 42.06 percent.
The vote was essentially more of an exclamation point on a decision voters already made in 2018 as voters in Nevada must pass an initiative twice consecutively in even-numbered election years to amend the state’s constitution.
The Bill’s Journey
In recent years, there has been a significant push for Nevada to move toward renewable energy. However, like any measure, there has been some opposition. In 2017, Nevada’s state legislature passed a bill to require 40 percent renewable energy by 2030. However, the bill was vetoed by the governor at the time, Brian Sandoval ®. Yet, in 2019, the bill was bumped up to 50 percent. It was passed again, and this time, it was signed by the newly elected governor, Steve Sisolak (D). The success of Question 6 makes sure there’s now not only a bill but a constitutional amendment requiring 50 percent renewable energy.
Opposition
The most prominent opposition to the bill came from people who were wary of requiring a specific target into the state’s constitution. This opposition didn’t only come from those who thought the target was too high. Others believed the target was too low, such as the Center for Biological Diversity, which was one of the bill’s prominent opposers.
Arguments for the Bill
Those who support the measure claim that a higher RPS (Renewable Portfolio Standard) would result in increased renewable energy generation while lowering the amount of natural gas imported to Nevada. Claims also suggest that a higher RPS would lower pollution, resulting in higher air quality. Supporters also stated that a higher RPS would result in constructing new renewable power plants in Nevada.
Supporters also pointed out that the cost of solar power and energy storage is rapidly declining. The supporters claimed that in the long run, it would be much cheaper to construct renewable energy-producing facilities within Nevada as opposed to continuing to import natural gas from out-of-state.
Arguments Against the Bill
Those who oppose the bill point towards the fact that the ballot question’s primary funder is a group close to Tom Steyer, a liberal California billionaire. Opposers also claim that amending the state’s constitution would essentially “handcuff” Nevada to a renewable energy industry some might consider still in its “infancy.”
Financial Impact
In 2018, Analysts from the Legislative Counsel Bureau stated that they couldn’t determine the proposed constitutional amendment’s fiscal impact “with any reasonable degree of certainty.” They pointed to the uncertainty over how the initiative will be implemented. The agency also stated it couldn’t correctly predict how electricity prices would be affected by the measure.
What Does Question 6 Mean For You?
A statewide shift to renewable energy will mean that the cost of solar power and energy storage will continue to decline, which would put consumers in a great position to benefit from the measure. As Southern Nevada’s premier solar company, we’re here to help you benefit. Our NABCEP Certified Installation team provides the latest solar technologies at competitive prices. Sol-Up is also Panasonic’s only Elite Installer in Nevada. Contact us for a free quote today!
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