Coverings the kidney

KUALA LUMPUR: Solar enthusiasts are jumping on the bandwagon to promote the renewable energy (RE) source, harping that it is freely available and more cost-effective. But is this true? And is too much solar a good thing? Let’s explore this further. Solar is available only during the day, thus you still need to cater for energy during the night. This will normally be provided by other conventional plants (i.e coal, gas and hydro). This means that conventional plants are still needed even though solar is introduced into the system. Alternatively, battery can also be used to store some of the solar energy for the night. However, this comes as an additional cost. Battery technology is still new and expensive with a current price tag of RM5000/kW, compared with RM3000/kW for the typical cost of a gas plant. Not only are batteries for the power system costly, they can only be used for a limited time, depending on their type and design. A 100MW solar plant is not equivalent to a ... » Learn More about Solar in Malaysia – Challenges, and too much of a good thing?

SINGAPORE - Tearing your hair out over home-based learning (HBL), which started on Wednesday and is set to continue till May 4? Fret not. Here are some suggestions from academic and parenting experts, who advise thinking out of the box and letting the teachers get on with their job, albeit remotely, while schools are closed. Here is how parents can keep sane while optimising this time to help their children make true learning gains. More HBL resources for parents can also be found on MOE's website . 1. HONE SELF-DIRECTED LEARNING It is a good time to help the children develop self-directed learning abilities, says Dr Tan Seng Chee, an associate professor at National Institute of Education (NIE), Nanyang Technological University (NTU). There are many reasons why it is not feasible for parents to take the place of teachers. Subject teachers may have specialised approaches, especially at higher grade levels, while parents working from home have other demands on their time ... » Learn More about Coronavirus: 7 ways to thrive under home-based learning

PETALING JAYA: The Star Education Fund Scholarship 2021 is now open for applications. This year, 227 scholarships worth RM14.3mil from 27 institutions are being offered. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, this is the first year applications will be done fully online, said fund manager Susanna Kuan. “We have prepared a guide to assist students through the application process and have included a list of supporting documents that they must submit with the e-application. “Students should read the e-Application Guide before applying so that they can prepare all the documents in JPEG or PDF formats, ” she said. All applications must be submitted online through The Star Education Fund website at thestar.com.my/edufund. Hard copies of the application forms will not be accepted. All scholarships will cover full tuition fees, Kuan said, except for the MBBS programme at Quest International University, Perak. Some of the courses include pre-university programmes such as A-Levels and ... » Learn More about Application for Star scholarship 2021 open

The following is the statement by Atty. Dante A. Gierran, president and chief executive officer of the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth). In a recent Congressional hearing, Executive Vice President/Chief Operating Officer Nerissa Santiago clarified that if the services given to patients in tents were part of in-patient care, then these should be covered by the current inpatient Covid-19 packages of the program as opposed to stays in nonaccredited community isolation unit tents, which are not compensable under existing rules. PhilHealth fully acknowledges the current situation where patients are temporarily placed in tents because hospitals can no longer admit them in regular hospital beds. PhilHealth guarantees that Covid-19 patients are entitled to health insurance coverage for RT-PCR tests, isolation in accredited community isolation units, and hospitalization for mild to critical cases of Covid-19. Be it Covid-19 or not, patients should be afforded with all the ... » Learn More about Statement on health insurance coverage of patients admitted in tents

PHUKET: A wheel that had come off a Phuket tour bus raced off on its own down Thepkrasattri Road yesterday morning, narrowly missing a policeman in its path. The bus, displaying a Pegas sign in its front window, had picked up 32 passengers at Phuket Airport and was heading towards a hotel in Kata when it lost a rear wheel near the U-turn in Srisoonthorn at about 8:15am. Luckily, Thalang Traffic Police officer Sen Sgt Maj Sayumphu Nhucharoen saw it coming. “I was on duty at the U-turn and I saw a wheel coming right at me at high speed. I managed to jump out of the way in time, but it hit my motorcycle which was parked by the road,” he said. After hitting the motorbike, the wheel continued at high speed across the street and hit and damaged the wall at Hang Krajok Tungnam Co Ltd, a construction supply store. The bus driver, Manas Worasiri, 50, was charged with reckless driving by using an improperly maintained vehicle, and fined 600 baht. “The bus is always checked as ... » Learn More about Runaway wheel from Phuket tour bus narrowly misses policeman

A FRIEND called me up the other day asking if she should still renew the comprehensive covers on her vehicles. Her family members have six vehicles between them, and the insurance premiums amount to quite a sum. She thinks that since they hardly go out and travel anyway, the chances of meeting with an accident is very minimal. I could not believe her saying that, but I immediately launched into a long explanation why she should continue insuring her vehicles. The risk is always present, and one cannot predict where and when it will occur. Just watch the TV news every day, and chances are, there is one or two accidents caused by motorcycle riders who deliver food and other essentials since people movement is restricted. Who would think that a mansion in a first-class subdivision will burn? Fires can occur anywhere as long as there are combustible materials. Since last year, many business establishments have closed shop, and the buildings or factories are not operating. The premises ... » Learn More about Technology at its best in the insurance industry

SINGAPORE - There have been around 80 cases of disputes involving commuters who did not mask up on public transport since April, said the Land Transport Authority (LTA) on Thursday (Aug 27). About 40 people have been fined for not doing so, the authority added. The other cases still have their outcomes pending, or were resolved without police involvement. Mask-wearing in public was made compulsory in Singapore on April 14, and failing to do so may result in a $300 fine for the first offence. Repeat offenders will face higher fines or prosecution in court. Disputes between commuters and public transport workers over mask rules have been in the spotlight after videos of arguments were uploaded and shared on social media. LTA noted that while most commuters complied after being reminded to wear their masks correctly, some refused to cooperate and resorted to verbal and physical harassment. "We do not condone such behaviour towards our public transport workers, and ... » Learn More about About 80 disputes over mask-wearing on public transport since April, 40 people fined

SINGAPORE - Transport Minister Ong Ye Kung took to his social media accounts to express his gratitude for bus drivers and denounce passengers who abuse them. On Sunday (Aug 23), he wrote on his Facebook and Instagram pages: "We may live in uncertain times due to Covid-19 but that is no excuse for anyone to physically or verbally abuse fellow human beings who are performing their duties. The last thing we need on a bus is an uncooperative and abusive passenger. "Graciousness is the cornerstone of a caring society. Let's be there for our bus uncles and aunties." Mr Ong added that bus drivers start their days as early as 4am. "They single-handedly command and steer a bus, in a timely and safe manner. They send the youngest to oldest in our households to school, work, market and errands," he wrote. The post comes four days after a Facebook user posted a video of himself verbally abusing a bus driver who would not let him board a public bus wearing a neck gaiter instead of a face ... » Learn More about Covid-19 no excuse to abuse bus drivers: Ong Ye Kung

Editors’ note: The Manila Times is not endorsing ivermectin as a treatment for Covid 19 or certifying its safety and effectiveness. The following is the personal story of the author, whose family was not part of any medical trial. The author has no medical training, and the views expressed here are entirely her own. First of two parts Over 50 percent are now asymptomatic, and me and those who have been spared from the infection to become “remote caregivers” are still keeping a close eye on two more who seem to be long-haulers of this disease. But again, I repeat, everyone is on the road to full recovery. From the day our first family member tested positive for Covid-19, it has been 19 days of highs and lows. It was on the 13th day that the excruciating stress and worry began to ebb, although not because we were a day shy of the supposed 14th day end to quarantine. We began to smile again, joke again and laugh again, because of my best friend’s help and a life-saving door she ... » Learn More about P450 can save someone from Covid-19

AUGUSTA: With a new coach solving swing issues and reduced celebrity media stress this week, Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama finds himself on the verge of a historic victory at the Masters. Matsuyama fired a seven-under par 65 on Saturday (Sunday in Manila), his low score in 37 career rounds at Augusta National and the week’s first bogey-free round, to grab a four-stroke lead after 54 holes on 11-under 205. About the only thing that’s a mystery to him so far at Augusta National is what it would mean to his golf-loving homeland if he becomes the first Japanese man to win a major title. “I’m not sure how to answer the question,” Matsuyama said through a translator. “All I can do is prepare well, try my best, and do the best that I can tomorrow.” Two Japanese women have won major titles, Hinako Shibuno at the 2019 Women’s British Open and Chako Higuchi at the 1977 LPGA Championship. Two Japanese men have managed major runner-up finishes, Isao Aoki at the 1980 US Open and Matsuyama ... » Learn More about Matsuyama on the brink of historic Masters victory