General

The government has approved two Covid-19 self-test kits for import and distribution, which the public can purchase and use on their own. We speak to Ezuan Yaacob, CEO of MeDKAD, who are the brand owners of Salixium and distributors for one of the test kits as to how useful it will be in our fight against covid 19.

Kuala Lumpur and Selangor are at the epicentre of the current outbreak and the government is ramping up the COVID-19 vaccination program with the introduction of Operation Surge Capacity, or O.S.C. for short. The O.S.C. aims to get every adult in KL and Selangor vaccinated with at least their first dose by August 1st. Bangi MP, YB Ong Kian Ming has been appointed as the coordinator on behalf of the state government to lead the ramp-up in Selangor. We speak to him on this bipartisan approach.

Image Credit: Dimitris Barletis | shutterstock.com

We speak to Pang Chong Yong, CEO and Chairman of Gemilang International, a Johor-based and Hong Kong-listed bus maker Gemilang International Ltd that has successfully carved a niche for itself as one of the pioneering manufacturers of aluminium and electric buses in Asia-Pacific. He also shares the potential of EV Busses around the world and gets his thoughts on the future of transportation, especially in this post covid world.

Covid has decimated road travel, hurting collections at more than 30 toll highway operators that include PLUS, Litrak, Ekovest, IJM, and Prolintas, prompting the possibility of renegotiating, postponing toll hikes, and even a restructuring of toll concessions.

Transport planning consultant Rosli Azad Khan, discusses.

It’s been 52 years since the first moon landings, but the dream of human lunar habitation has yet to come to fruition. That may change in the coming years as NASA makes plans to return to the moon by 2024, amid a flurry of private companies entering the space industry and spurring innovation. We discuss the future of space exploration and international cooperation with Garvey Macintosh, NASA Asia Representative.

Image Credit: SevenStorm JUHASZIMRUS / Pexels

It's earnings season, but amidst a return in investor appetite to risky assets like equities, Netflix's latest earnings have disappointed some quarters.

Jack Kouzi, Director for Strategy at VFS Group, discusses Netflix amidst what he thinks are transitory inflation concerns plus the upcoming IPO of trading platform Robinhood.

在中国大陆执行了36年的一胎政策可以追溯到中国当代经济学家马寅初在1957出版的《新人口论》。当时对于经济增长和人口之间的关系的理解是，经济增长虽然带来了繁荣，但繁荣会造成人口的增加，导致人均收入和生活水平不增反减，所以控制人口成为提高生活水平的唯一选择。

随着1979年严格执行一胎政策以及中国经济改革开放以后的30年里，中国经济起了天翻地覆的改变。在一个人口生育率迅速下降的年代，少儿抚养比例跟着迅速下降，抚养负担轻，劳动年龄人口比例就会上升，形成了一个劳动力资源丰富，对经济发展十分有利的黄金年代，经济学界一般称之为人口红利，对中国经济奇迹功不可没。

但30年以后少儿会变大叔，当年的大叔就变老人，当人口老龄化加速而生育率又偏低的时候，人口红利会变成人口负担，因为劳动力供给开始不足，老年人抚养比例也开始上升。2012年中国劳动年龄人口就第一次出现了下降。

2015年一胎政策走入历史，2016年全面实施二胎政策，但效果不彰，2020年只有1200万个新生婴孩，那是1961年以来最低，中国马上宣布全面施行三胎政策。

二胎政策尚且不见效果，三胎政策真能提高生育率吗？就算生育率提高了，中国真的能延续人口红利？

这一期节目，我们来个跨国访谈，和我们聊聊这个课题的是驻在上海的邢兆鹏，他是澳新银行研究部 ANZ Research的资深中国研究策略师。

With our eyes set on unearthing the freshest flavours from unexpected places, we widen our scope with hand-picked musical gems from all across Asia. This week, we are joined by singer and songwriter Kimal from local band Margasatwa. We learn more about the rock band's journey to win a grant from the recent Levi's Music Project, evolving the band's sound, and doing long-distance jam sessions.
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00:52 - Duara - Morning Sun (feat. Vira Talisa)

04:18 - ADOY - Baby

08:13 - Chaseiro - Gemilang

12:36 - Margasatwa - Alam Sendiri

17:07 - Kimal Interview

29:30 - Margasatwa - Yang Asli

33:40 - Mondo Gascaro - Sanubari

39:19 - Eyedress - Something About You (feat. Dent May)

41:50 - Slowdown & Dumbfoundead - Me & Mrs. Wong

46:10 - The Filters - John Pine

51:10 - Katz - Forgetting (feat. Charlie Lim)

The Company Man is Forust Studio’s debut effort, aimed at poking fun at the corporate and office culture, via its whimsical 2D world. We speak to Andrew Teo, the founder of the studio and lead designer of the game about the inspirations behind the game, and the challenges of getting the word out in a highly competitive market.

IMAGE SOURCE: The Company Man / FACEBOOK

Could you discover a whole new imaginative universe just through sound, while sitting in your bedroom? That’s what Imaginarium, an online audio-immersive theatre performance, aims to do - by both building on the feelings of isolation we’ve all been going through, while also suggesting ways in which freedom can still be found within that space. We review the show and discuss how it reflects on our experiences of the pandemic.The show is a part of the George Town Festival.

Everyone's A Critic is jointly presented with CENDANA. For updates on Malaysian arts and culture, visit BASKL.

Image Source: Georgetown Festival