Petpositive Was At Malaysiakini's Dinner Last Night

Petpositive Committee Member Antony Leopold and his wife Vimala, Stanislaus Anthony and his wife - both disabled members of the Society - were at Malaysiakini's fundraising dinner last night. 

Their participation was made possible courtesy of four tickets that were donated to the Society by human rights activist Salbiah Ahmad.

Petpositive congratulates Malaysiakini for their special event as well as their courage and diligence in delivering their brand of news without fear or favour!

MALAYSIAKINI STORY:  

Co-founders Steven Gan and Premesh Chandran tonight thanked thousands of Malaysiakini subscribers for their support in keeping the 10-year-old news portal "financially independent".

At the Malaysiakini 10^th Anniversary Dinner at the Sime Darby Convention Centre in Bukit Kiara, Gan told the 1,000-strong crowd that the founders' unwritten motto has been "independent media needs independent financing".

"Malaysiakini today is one of the two news websites in the world - the other being Wall Street Journal - which have made the subscription model a success. It's a feat which has gone relatively unnoticed," said Gan, who is Malaysiakini's editor-in-chief.

"When the online editor of New York Times came to Kuala Lumpur to speak to us about our business model, surely we must be doing something right.

"All this, thanks to our subscribers who fork out RM20 every month to access Malaysiakini."

According to chief executive officer Chandran, Malaysiakini subscribers have "voted with their wallets against the tide of free content".

"Over 117,000 stories and 2,000 videos in four languages, published to an audience of two million unique readers - when we launched Malaysiakini, we never believed we would get this far," said Chandran.

"Indeed, Malaysiakini has exceeded the expectations of the founders, the staff and all those who took a leap of faith with us."

Chandran cited public intellectual Din Merican, who wrote in his blog recently about Malaysiakini: "Never in the history of Malaysian journalism have so few brave men and women done so much in the cause of freedom and democracy."

Blue ocean turns red

Chandran noted that the 10th anniversary marked "the end of Chapter 1 of the Malaysiakini story".

"What used to be a dangerous 'blue ocean' waters has now become a 'red ocean' with new 'independent' news portals being launched regularly.

"Whereas Chapter 1 was about building a ship in hostile waters, Chapter 2 seems to be about maneuvering the ship forward towards new unchartered territories, developing new competitive advantages and reaching out to new audiences," he said.

"Malaysiakini will be embarking on this journey with the same zeal as we did 10 years ago. We are preparing, looking forward to the mobile and the Internet TV space, as well as exploring social media.

"Our goal is to have the ability to reach every Malaysian and beyond. As before, this can only be achieved with your support."

Gan, in his speech, referred to Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu in describing Malaysiakini's mission.

"Lao Tzu said: Go to the people. Live with them. Learn from them. Love them. Start with what they know. Build with what they have. But with the best leaders, when the work is done, the task accomplished, the people will say, 'We have done this ourselves'.

"And so with Malaysiakini, it is not just reaching our destination that is important. When we do get there - hopefully very soon - Malaysians will say, 'We have done this together.'"

PET+BLOGSPOT is the official online blog of the Malaysian Animal-Assisted Therapy for the Disabled and Elderly Association (Petpositive).

Our blog which was first established in October 2007 currently has more than 30,000 hits. Kindly take note that views expressed in this blog are not necessarily those of Petpositive.

You may also visit our Webpage by browsing: www.petpositive.com.my

Budget for disabled friendly facilities - StarMetro

Friday November 27, 2009

MBPJ councillors get RM55.53mil

By FAZLEENA AZIZ

FOR the first time, the Petaling Jaya city councillors have been allocated RM55.53mil based on their respective zones.

The allocation is part of the RM260.44mil budget next year tabled by the Petaling Jaya mayor Datuk Mohamad Roslan Sakiman recently.

Roslan said the different allocations were based on the needs of the respective areas.

The highest allocation goes to councillor Latheefa Koya (RM5.4mil, Zone 16)) followed by Anthony Thanasayan (RM4.9mil, Zone 13) and R. Selvarajan (RM4.4mil).

Councillor Kamarudin Suhaimi was allocated the lowest (RM339,620, Zone 23) while Mahharul Ismail allocation is (RM428,700, Zone 18).

The allocations are a boon for the councillors but questions have surfaced on why certain areas are getting more than the others.

StarMetro spoke to the councillors about their plans for their allocations and what could be expected from this new move by MBPJ.

Latheefa said her allocation was based on a combination of requests from the residents, needs of the area, community representatives as well as the council’s outlook.

She said her budget would have to cover her large area, including Section 1A, 4, 18 and 3.

“When broken down it is not that big at all. My area is very old and needs a lot of upgrading work and this includes broken drains,” she said.
She said the allocation allowed the councillors to save time on red tape and get on with the job.

“This will also enable MBPJ to specifically carry out what the residents want,” she said.

She said since this was the first time they had been given such a budget, they would spend only on necessities.

Anthony said the money allocated would be used primarily for Section 52, which would become a green, clean and disabled friendly zone.

He said the money would be used for projects that had been neglected in the past like facilities for the disabled and proper pavement.

“There have been instances in the past where due to red tape, some plans could not be carried out. With this allocation, we want to plan wisely and cater to the public’s needs.

Councillor Kamarudin Suhaimi is positive about the small budget allocated for his area. He said the council was not going to spend money unless necessary.
He said the council still had RM80mil in reserves as it had not used up all the money from this year’s budget.

“My area does not have many people and it is very small. Most of the money will be used for roads and the drainage system near the Bintang market area,” he said.

He said they could always ask the financial committee for more allocation if the funds given were insufficient.

PET+BLOGSPOT is the official online blog of the Malaysian Animal-Assisted Therapy for the Disabled and Elderly Association (Petpositive).


Our blog which was first established in October 2007 currently has more than 30,000 hits. Kindly take note that views expressed in this blog are not necessarily those of Petpositive.


You may also visit our Webpage by browsing: www.petpositive.com.my

Carol In Critical Condition

DATELINE KUALA LUMPUR: 

Petpositive Member Carol Rasiah who has brittle bones, is fighting for her life at the Intensive Care Unit in University Hospital Medical Centre (PPUM).


The story was broken to us by another Petpositive Member Stanislaus Anthony from Petaling Jaya earlier this afternoon. 


Carol who hails from Subang Jaya was reported to have been traveling in a wheelchair-friendly van called Mobility on Tuesday morning when the accident happened. 


She is reported to have fallen off her wheelchair when the van made an emergency stop. 


Carol who suffered internal bleeding was rushed to the trauma ward on the fifth floor of PPUM where she is still in a coma.


One visitor who saw Carol at the hospital yesterday described her condition as extremely serious. She didn't think that Carol would be able to pull through.


According to her, doctors were waiting to perform surgery on Carol but were being prevented from doing so because she was not in a stable condition. 


However at least one Web Forum where Carol regularly chats was more optimistic and hopeful that Carol would recover from her ordeal. 


Carol has taken part in several activities of Petpositive to date. They include attending our historic charity concert in June 2007, our Xmas party by Mid Valley Megamall and a special animal-assisted therapy session at the Selangor SPCA last year. 


The last we saw Carol was at MBPJ's Dog Forum in PJ in October where she had also traveled in the Mobility Van.


"Despite being in a wheelchair for all her life, Carol is always cheerful," noted Lynda Merican, special coordinator for Petpositive. "She would be present at some of the functions I attended and it was always great to bump into her," concluded Lynda, wishing her a speedy recovery. 


Many in the disabled community have expressed shock at what had happened to Carol and have called for more improved safety measures for all vehicles that transport disabled and elderly persons.


This should include special training to drivers of special vehicles that transport vulnerable communities.


Carol who lives behind The Summit in Subang is active on Facebook and is also a blogger. Her address is http://blogsportcom-carol.blogspot.com/


 
PET+BLOGSPOT is the official online blog of the Malaysian Animal-Assisted Therapy for the Disabled and Elderly Association (Petpositive).


Our blog which was first established in October 2007 currently has more than 30,000 hits. Kindly take note that views expressed in this blog are not necessarily those of Petpositive.


You may also visit our Webpage by browsing: www.petpositive.com.my

Good and bad news for animal-assisted therapy in Petaling Jaya

DATELINE PETALING JAYA: 

Advocates for Animal-Assisted Therapy received a huge boost on Wednesday, November 25 when it was announced that disabled residents in PJ will be allowed to obtain free dog licenses for their pets.


The move was announced at the monthly Full Board Meeting at the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) that was also attended by several members of the public.


Disabled residents will be obtain their yearly free dog licenses when they submit their disabled identifications by the Welfare Department.


"The decision is a very positive step forward by a local council," said Anthony Thanasayan, President of Petpositive to PET+BLOGSPOT. Anthony who is also a MBPJ Councillor has been pushing for the move since last year. 


"By offering the handicapped a waiver of dog licenses, the MBPJ is immediately legitimising all pet owners with disabilities who have been keeping dogs without a license," said Anthony.


With the free licenses, they will not have to live in fear anymore about their dogs being caught by the local authorities or them being fined, he explained.

"Furthermore the move by MBPJ to provide such an opportunity is a first and significant step in recognising the role of animal-assisted therapy in the lives of the handicapped for positive living," he concluded.

While the disabled received good news, there was dismal news for the elderly when the Council refused to give the same privilege to elderly pet owners.

The normally dull MBPJ meeting turned into a lively debate when licenses for the elderly were discussed. 

State Assemblyman for Damansara Utama in Selangor - and a trained psychiatrist - YB Dr Cheah Wing Yin also threw in his support for free dog licenses for the elderly community.

However his arguments were shot down ironically by three members of his own party the DAP at the meeting.

The matter was referred back to the subcommittee that brought up the issue for further debate on the matter - though several councillors opposed the idea if deliberating further on the issue.

Commenting on the topic after the meeting, Stanislaus Anthony, an elderly resident who attended the meeting said he was most disappointed with the decision on the elderly. 

"Why does a Council want to make money out of senior citizens?" he asked and concluded,"Where is the caring government that Pakatan promised?"     




  
PET+BLOGSPOT is the official online blog of the Malaysian Animal-Assisted Therapy for the Disabled and Elderly Association (Petpositive).

Our blog which was first established in October 2007 currently has more than 30,000 hits. Kindly take note that views expressed in this blog are not necessarily those of Petpositive.

You may also visit our Webpage by browsing: www.petpositive.com.my

Lions kill rare white tiger at Czech zoo - bbc online

Lions kill rare white tiger at Czech Republic zoo

White tigers are rare in the wild because they stand out in the jungle

Two lions at a zoo in the northern Czech Republic have killed a rare white tigress after entering her enclosure.

The incident happened at Liberec Zoo - the only one in the country which has white tigers.

Zoo workers were alerted by the cries of the tigress, but were unable to stop the killing.
White tigers - the result of a recessive gene - find it difficult to catch prey in the wild because their colouration stands out in the jungle.

The lions - Sultan, aged 14, and Elsa, 11 - managed to open a trap door leading to an open-air area occupied by the 17-year-old tigress, Isabella.

Surviving daughter

Lions and tigers in the zoo share the same pavilion overnight, which they leave for separate open-air enclosures during the day.

But the open-air enclosures are rotated, and zoo authorities believe the lions were trying to get into the area where they had spent the previous day.
"The current security system has been in place for 12 years and such an accident has never happened before," said zoo director David Nejedlo.
There are three surviving white tigers at the zoo, including Isabella's daughter.

The zoo is the oldest in the Czech Republic and was established in 1919.

PET+BLOGSPOT is the official online blog of the Malaysian Animal-Assisted Therapy for the Disabled and Elderly Association (Petpositive).

Our blog which was first established in October 2007 currently has more than 30,000 hits. Kindly take note that views expressed in this blog are not necessarily those of Petpositive.

You may also visit our Webpage by browsing: www.petpositive.com.my

MBPJ To Make Section 52 Dsabled-Friendly - the star

Tuesday November 17, 2009

Move to make Sec 52 a clean and healthy area

By FAZLEENA AZIZ

THE Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) is gearing up to make Section 52 a clean and healthy area by June next year.

Among the plans are upgrading of the drainage system, recycling centres and placement of garbage bins as well as more parking lots.
According to MBPJ councillor Anthony Thanasayan, who is also the chairman for the clean zone committee, the area will also be disabled-friendly.
He said they would be installing blind tiles as well.

“Some of the upgrading work has begun. The work on the drainage system will start at the end of the month.

“There is no point in us upgrading the area and the facilities if the public do not play their part in keeping the place clean,” he said.
During a recent site visit, MBPJ health director Dr Sadiah Abdullah said they would be spending at least RM500,000 for the upgrading exercise.
Sadiah also said they would be checking the area for proper garbage disposable bins.

“Those who do not dispose of their garbage properly will be compounded.
“As for the parking lots, there will be space for the disabled,” she said.
She added that they were going to buy two food composting machines, which would be placed at the hawker centre as part of the waste management exercise.

Section 52 was identified as the area to be cleaned up in the statewide Clean Zone competition.

PET+BLOGSPOT is the official online blog of the Malaysian Animal-Assisted Therapy for the Disabled and Elderly Association (Petpositive).

Our blog which was first established in October 2007 currently has more than 30,000 hits. Kindly take note that views expressed in this blog are not necessarily those of Petpositive.

You may also visit our Webpage by browsing: www.petpositive.com.my

Noise Worse for Students with Dyslexia - bbc online

Noise 'worse for dyslexic pupils'

Simple steps can make a big difference for children with dyslexia, experts say

Children with dyslexia find it harder to hear in noisy classrooms than those without the condition, a US study says.

Pupils with poor reading skills were also more likely to struggle to retain information when there was background noise, researchers reported in Neuron.
They said the findings, based on tests on 30 children, might help to develop new ways to diagnose the condition.
The team from Northwestern University, in Chicago, said pupils with dyslexia might also need extra support in class.
Wireless technology
They said placing children with dyslexia in front of the teacher could make a big difference.
And they suggested other steps, such as providing such pupils with wireless technologies and noise-reducing headphones to pick up information better.
Dyslexia is a neurological disorder which affects reading and spelling skills in between 5% to 10% of children.

I think it shows that extra support is needed, especially one-to-one support Dr John Rack, of Dyslexia Action

Recent research has suggested that children with the condition may struggle to process voices when there is competing noise.
The researchers set about testing the theory by getting children to watch a video with background noise, the journal Neuron reported.
At the same time, they were asked to repeat sentences they heard.
Lead researcher Professor Nina Kraus said the study was important in understanding the difficulties children with dyslexia face.
"The ability to sharpen or fine-tune repeating elements is crucial to hearing speech in noise because it allows for superior tagging of the voice pitch," he said.
She said further research was now needed into the issue.
Dr John Rack, of Dyslexia Action, said the findings were "interesting".
"This builds on what we already know. I think it shows that extra support is needed, especially one-to-one support.
"Busy, vibrant classrooms are a good thing and I would not want to see children with dyslexia taken out of them though."

PET+BLOGSPOT is the official online blog of the Malaysian Animal-Assisted Therapy for the Disabled and Elderly Association (Petpositive).

Our blog which was first established in October 2007 currently has more than 30,000 hits. Kindly take note that views expressed in this blog are not necessarily those of Petpositive.

You may also visit our Webpage by browsing: www.petpositive.com.my

WEEKEND VIEW: PJ Right On Track With Handicapped Friendly Facilities

DATELINE PETALING JAYA: 

Lots of good things are poised to happen for people with disabilities soon, thanks to the initiative and intervention of Petpositive.

First of all, Petpositive, also known as the Malaysian Animal-Assisted Therapy for the Disabled and Elderly is expecting to meet Datuk Seri Sharizat Abdul Jalil early next week to talk about disability issues.

When that meeting takes place we hope to update the Minister from the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry about some of the pressing issues confronting the handicapped community in Malaysia today.

We also intend to highlight to her about the unique role of animal-assisted therapy in helping the disabled and the elderly achieve a higher quality of life for themselves through their special pet companions.

The Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) is also expected to deliberate the issue if dog licenses should be given free to the disabled and elderly communities in Petaling Jaya.

Petpositive has put a strong case to the local council as to why they should offer free dog licenses to these special groups.

In addition to recognising and supporting the role of animal-assisted therapy in the nation, giving dog licenses free to these marginalised groups would also help to legitimise the pet ownership of many disabled and residents who are presently keeping pets without licenses.

Finally, expect to see more street pavements in PJ being made more friendly to wheelchair users and the blind in the near future.

These features will be evident more to upgrading of pavements in PJ.

Residents in PJ within the next couple of months will also be able to witness an increase of disabled parking spots to more wheelchair friendly facilities in the PJ Civic Centre and the Library in Old Town.

PET+BLOGSPOT is the official online blog of the Malaysian Animal-Assisted Therapy for the Disabled and Elderly Association (Petpositive).

Our blog which was first established in October 2007 currently has more than 30,000 hits. Kindly take note that views expressed in this blog are not necessarily those of Petpositive.

You may also visit our Webpage by browsing: www.petpositive.com.my