General

This week, Patrick Teoh takes you on another foot stomping, hand clapping ride down memory lane as he blows dust off his vinyl collection to bring you a selection of the greatest hits from the 1970s.

This week on A Bit of Culture we welcome back Jo Kukathas and Na’a Murad to the fold. Na’a opens by speaking on the state of the film industry in Afghanistan, how the Taliban's conservatism is being challenged by a non-profit body called the Afghan Film Organization. Then, Jo elucidates on the situation of being alone, is it odd if an individual enjoys solitude, or is it a sign of a bigger problem? Lastly, Kam concludes by comparing the level of efficiency in dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic in two countries, the United Kingdom and Malaysia. Though comparatively Malaysia may appear to be better in handling the issue, does it come at the expense of some form of liberalism?

A look at the European World Cup qualifiers including England's easy win over San Marino which saw a few English players making a case for inclusion into the World Cup squad. Also, Germany, starting the long goodbye to Joachim Low. Spain slip up in their qualifier whilst Zlatan makes a truimphant return to International football. We also ask, Whats gone wrong with the Netherlands?

Wikimedia Foundation, the non-profit that runs Wikipedia, is looking to charge companies for publishing its content. This comes after Australia introduced media laws that require tech giants like Facebook and Google to pay local news outlets to link their content in news feeds or search results. We speak with Dr Ross Tapsell about the impact of this move.

Image Source: Benjamin Dada, Unsplash

The Election Commission has announced that auto registration for citizens above the age of 18 to vote will be delayed until after September 2022, decreasing their chances of particpating in GE15. We explore how this call came to be and the consquences it might have on our next elections.

Image Source: Gwoeii, Shutterstock

Several cities in China have declared a ban on the manufacturing of joss paper to celebrate the Qingming festival, as concerns of safety and pollution arise. Can this cultural tradition still be upholded without its usual customs?

Image Source: Zay Nyi Nyi, Shutterstock

While more students have been returning to schools over the past month, there has been a rise in COVID-19 clusters involving schools recently. We speak with Harry Tan about what it's been like for schools to implement SOPs, and whether anything else can be done to better prevent the spread of the virus.

Image Source: Sharif Putra, Shutterstock

Dr George Lee returns to discuss the latest medical news. Expect deep insights delivered with generous humour. There is a belief that if you are diagnosed with prostate cancer, you are relatively “lucky”, as it is a slow-growing cancer that doesn’t pose a serious threat to health. But don’t take this as a reason to dismiss prostate cancer. It is still important to detect and treat it early, for the best outcomes, as clinical studies have shown that earlier management of prostate cancer leads to better survival. Consultant urologist Dr Loh Chit Sin joins Dr George Lee to look at what is the best course of treatment for various stages of prostate cancer, and what difference early treatment makes. This show is part of Health in a Pod, a health education campaign brought to you by Johnson & Johnson Malaysia.

For Suzanne Mooney, a meeting with Robert Egger, the founder of the DC Central Kitchen, changed her life. He showed her that one person could make a difference to a community and to peoples’ lives. Originally a broadcast journalist with the BBC, Suzanne then worked for the United Nations, before she moved to Malaysia and founded The Lost Food Project, with the help of like-minded souls. From small beginnings, the Lost Food Project has made a huge impact on reducing food waste in the Klang Valley, providing support to lower-income communities, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. They were even instrumental in working with the government on the Food Donor Protection Bill, which was approved by the Dewan Rakyat in October 2019. We catch up with Suzanne about how far the group has come, and find out about some new projects they are working on.

Image source: The Lost Food Project's Facebook page

Gone are the days of University students only needing a degree to embark on a successful career. Today, employers keep an eye out for graduates who go out of their way to upskill themselves and broaden their horizons. We speak with Jason Lo, Head of Taylor's College School of Professional Studies about how they're re-imagining the higher education landscape, and his mission to empower students to go the extra mile.

Interested to find out more about programmes at Taylor’s College? Register for the Taylor’s College Digital Open Day on 3rd and 10th April at bit.ly/taylorscollegedod.