Making it work from home
THE movement control order to stop the spread of Covid-19 has triggered an important side effect: the growth of work from home (WFH) culture in Malaysia today. In the public sector, civil servants have done well WFH and it will definitely be a long-term policy beyond the pandemic, says the Public Service Department. “A circular was issued by the department to improve the public service delivery system and to strike a balance between fulfilling work duties and employee well-being. “Those who work from home must comply with rules such as remaining at home and being contactable at any time during work hours, ” the department says. Because workers would need proper work stations and equipment at home, Shamsuddin suggests tax incentives be given to workers if they pay for such items.
Source:The Star
March 27, 2021 22:30 UTC
No going back: Covid-19 has changed the workplace forever
BEFORE Covid-19 shut down their office, employees of Bouchard Insurance would have described their work life as flexible. Most American workplace leaders and experts agree that the structure of work lives will be forever changed. Yvette Lee, a workplace expert and adviser with the Society of Human Resources Management, says that in general, at-home childcare has fallen more heavily on women during the pandemic. “They have seen that people can be productive... working fewer hours on one day and longer hours on another. Lee expects the workplace of the future will be a hybrid of the one before Covid-19 and the one during.
Source:The Star
March 27, 2021 22:18 UTC
Workers laud working from home as the way forward
“For example, the Employment Act defines work hours to be eight hours a day, and not more than 10 hours without overtime. He says employees must keep communications open at all times during work hours if they are working from home. “Any accident during working hours, if the worker is at home and even working from his bed, should be protected by social security, ” he says. Once you work from home, you must ensure you put in the necessary working hours, ” he says. Even before Covid-19, the office was designed based on an activity- based style of working instead of each worker being desk-bound.
Source:The Star
March 27, 2021 22:18 UTC
Football: Wise move, Arif
PETALING JAYA: Newbie Arif Fadzillah Abu Bakar is not planning to waste his first opportunity to make an impression in the national training camp. Arif, who plays for Terengganu in the Super League, is just happy with a chance to learn from the best. “This is my first time with the senior team as in the past, I’ve trained with the Under-19 and 23 teams. “The atmosphere is different because you learn from the senior players, and you also learn a lot of tactical work, ” said Arif. Arif is one of the new faces selected for the national training camp to prepare for the World Cup 2022 and Asia Cup 2023 qualifiers.
Source:The Star
March 27, 2021 22:07 UTC
THE SECRET BEHIND SCORING As
LAST year, nearly 80% of students who took Further Mathematics in the Taylor’s College Cambridge A Level (CAL) programme scored A or A*. ‘The strength of the college lies in the team teaching Further Mathematics – it is a collaborative effort, ’ says Logesh. But the secret of their success may surprise you. “The strength of the college lies in the team teaching Further Mathematics – it is a collaborative effort, ” says Logesh Sivapakianathan, CAL lecturer for Further Mathematics. Logesh also believes that explaining the “why” of mathematical formulas contributes to her students’ learning experience.
Source:The Star
March 27, 2021 18:35 UTC
Lessons learnt out there
I am also very happy that I was able to leave Malaysia in the first week of March and spend the remainder of the time with my coach Gary Gilchrist in Florida. As you all may know by now, trying to decide on the “right” coach can be an extremely difficult decision. Obviously, when things are not working out in life we are often drawn to make changes and in professional golf it is usually clubs, caddy or coaches (not necessarily in that order). “If you go into a tournament hoping to make the cut, you will probably miss the cut. I am excited to be representing Malaysia at the Kia Classic this week to start my eighth season on the LPGA Tour.
Source:The Star
March 27, 2021 13:11 UTC
Live long in sculpture: 6m art installation planned for Mr Spock symbol
The Museum of Science in Boston is paying tribute to city native Leonard Nimoy with a 6m sculpture shaped like Mr Spock's split-fingered "live long and prosper" hand gesture, the museum and the late Star Trek actor's family announced recently. The stainless steel monument, designed by artist David Phillips, will be placed in front of the museum. The announcement was made on the same day former Mayor Marty Walsh proclaimed Leonard Nimoy Day in the city. "The ‘live long and prosper’ symbol represents a message that my dad believed so strongly in, ” his daughter, Julie Nimoy, said in a statement. The idea for the half-human, half-Vulcan's hand gesture originated from Nimoy himself, who was inspired by an ancient blessing he saw in his synagogue as a youth, the museum said.
Source:The Star
March 27, 2021 10:52 UTC
Foreign tourism to Spain down 93.6% in February amid Covid-19 curbs
MADRID (April 6): Tourist arrivals to Spain plummeted 93.6% year-on-year in February as visitors stayed away from bars and beaches in what is usually the world's second most visited country. International tourism to Spain plunged 80% to 19 million visitors last year - the lowest since 1969 - as coronavirus curbs took their toll. Spain received 284,311 foreign tourists in February, 34.6% less than in January. International tourism revenues dropped 93.3% year on year in February, putting many business in jeopardy. Germans, who have started going back to Mallorca, took second spot.
Source:The Edge Markets
March 27, 2021 10:41 UTC
Halep withdraws from Miami Open with shoulder injury
(Reuters) - Third seed Simona Halep has withdrawn from the Miami Open singles and doubles events due to a right shoulder injury, the Romanian said on Saturday. Halep, the reigning Wimbledon champion, said she began to feel pain after practice sessions at her first tournament since a quarter-final exit at the Australian Open last month. "I'm very sorry I have to pull out of singles and doubles at the Miami Open, but my injury doesn't let me play here as I expected," Halep, who had partnered with Angelique Kerber in the doubles, said. "I'm sad that I can't continue, I wanted to come here to give my best and play many matches but unfortunately I can't. (Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
Source:The Star
March 27, 2021 10:05 UTC
Pandemic fuels travel boom – in virtual reality
“She was amazed,” she said, calling the VR travel experiences “a lifesaver for us”. Strict lockdowns and travel limitations during the pandemic have sparked fresh interest in immersive virtual travel experiences, which have become more accessible and affordable with new apps and VR hardware. Data on VR travel usage is limited but developers have seen surging interest since the pandemic hit. — AFP“It has been skyrocketing,” said Cezara Windrem, creator of the Alcove VR platform at AARP Innovation Labs. Travel substitute, complementWith the tourism industry largely obliterated by the coronavirus outbreak, virtual reality has emerged as both a substitute for real-world travel and a complement to help people plan their next trip.
Source:The Star
March 27, 2021 09:33 UTC
Two Indian states vote in test for Modi
Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah campaigned energetically for their Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in West Bengal, encouraging defections from the Trinamool Congress (TMC) party, whose firebrand leader Mamata Banerjee has been chief minister since 2011. India's fourth most populous state, with 90 million people, was for decades a bastion of communism, and registered a voter turnout of nearly 80% in Saturday's first phase of voting. It has never won power in West Bengal, and to do well in the state would send a formidable national signal. Assam's third and final phase of voting is on April 6. (Reporting by Subrata Nagchoudhury in Kolkata and Zarir Hussain in Guwahati; Additional reporting by Rupak De Chowdhuri in Purulia; Writing by Sankalp Phartiyal; Editing by Kevin Liffey)
Source:The Star
March 27, 2021 07:47 UTC
Living under the shadow of the foreskin
I think one of these issues is phimosis where the outlet of the foreskin is too tight for the foreskin to be retracted to the shaft of the penis. Although over 90% of the foreskin is fully retractable by the age of seven, some foreskin may still be non-retractable due to preputial adhesions or phimosis. Regular efforts to pull back the foreskin, with or without the help of steroid cream, can occasionally loosen the tight foreskin. However, overzealous efforts to pull back the foreskin should be discouraged, as men with phimosis may encounter the potential complication - paraphimosis - when the tight foreskin becomes trapped behind the glans. Men with phimosis living under the shadow of the foreskin, having been liberated by the simple circumcision often have regrets.
Source:The Star
March 27, 2021 06:06 UTC
Rapping ambassador is top Asia envoy
The US ambassador who made a splash in Vietnam by making a rap video is getting a promotion – as the top diplomat for Asia under President Joe Biden. Daniel Kritenbrink, a career diplomat who speaks Chinese and Japanese, was nominated by Biden to be the assistant secretary of state for East Asia and the Pacific, a White House statement said. Kritenbrink became an Internet sensation last month during Tet, the Lunar New Year that is Vietnam’s most important annual celebration, as he put out his own rap video to send his greetings. In a performance that combined both astute diplomatic messaging and a healthy touch of irony, Kritenbrink appeared strolling the streets of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City in his suit accompanied by Vietnamese music stars. Despite his sense of humour, Kritenbrink has a serious background, previously serving as the No.2 at the US embassy in Beijing and as the top White House aide on Asia policy under former president Barack Obama.
Source:The Star
March 27, 2021 04:18 UTC
Multiple career options with a psychology degree
A DEGREE in psychology at the University of Reading Malaysia (UoRM) provides an excellent starting point for a career in both science and the arts. The School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences has a long-standing reputation for excellence in psychology teaching, research, and training. The same BSc Psychology programme is offered at the University of Reading campus in the UK and at UoRM. Throughout this BSc Psychology programme, you will gain a solid grounding in all core areas of psychology, including biological psychology, cognitive psychology, developmental psychology, individual differences, social psychology, conceptual and historical issues in psychology, and research methods. This article was contributed by University of Reading Malaysia’s head of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, Assoc Prof Dr Rachel Pye.
Source:The Star
March 27, 2021 03:58 UTC
YouTube suspends ads from David Dobrik’s channels over sexual-assault claims
LOS ANGELES: YouTube said it will temporarily suspend advertising from David Dobrik’s channels, after a woman said she was raped by a member of his entourage in 2018. In a statement, a YouTube rep said, “We have strict policies that prohibit sexual harassment on YouTube and take allegations of sexual assault very seriously. YouTube’s demonetisation of Dobrik’s channels and the Durte Dom channel was first reported by Insider. Dobrik initially addressed the accusations in a YouTube video last week titled “Let’s Talk”. And I want to be able to have a place of checks and balances.”Representatives for Zeglaitis did not immediately respond to a request sent to the email listed on his Durte Dom channel.
Source:The Star
March 27, 2021 03:45 UTC