MPs Giving a Dressing Down to Teresa!

Teresa stands by her blouse

By LEE YUK PENG
yukpeng@thestar.com.my

PETALING JAYA: Seputeh MP Teresa Kok stood up to accusations that her long-sleeved blouse was “too revealing” for Parliament, saying she saw nothing wrong with her choice of outfit on Thursday.

The MP from DAP, who wore the blouse made of sheer material and a dress, was criticised during question time by Datuk Dr Marcus Mojigoh (BN–Putatan) who complained that her outfit was revealing (menjolok mata) and improper.

“It was long-sleeved and not entirely transparent. I see nothing wrong with the blouse. I will continue to wear it in future,’’ said Kok yesterday.

Dress issue: Kok showing the outfit she wore to Parliament on Thursday.

 

Kok, who was attacked 10 years ago in another episode involving her outfit, said the complaint was nonsense.

“I think Putatan (Dr Marcus) was seeking attention on TV since the first 30 minutes of question time is on live telecast,’’ she added.

Dr Marcus, citing Standing Orders, stood up to point out to Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia that Kok’s outfit was revealing and inappropriate.

Pandikar Amin, however, defused the situation, saying he was not drawn to Kok’s clothes.

When contacted, Dr Marcus argued that Kok should be wearing formal attire like her male counterparts.

“I stood to remind her that she was not in proper parliamentarian attire. One must be serious in Parliament and not main-main (fool around). She wore a fancy dress as if she was taking part in a fashion show. Parliament is not the place for her to show how nice her dresses are,” he said.

Standing Order 41(f) states that a woman should either be wearing national attire, sarong or long-sleeved blouse with knee-length skirt, ceremonial dress or any attire permitted by the Chair in the Dewan Rakyat.

Monday October 25, 2010

Giving MPs a dressing down must be done in private

I WAS bemused and at the same time irked by the news report in which Seputeh MP Teresa Kok (pic) was accused by Datuk Dr Marcus Mojigoh (BN-Putatan) of wearing a blouse that was “too revealing” for Parliament – and of all times, during Question Time.

Question Time in Parliament is an important session for MPs to discuss issues of national importance, not for trivial matters as an MP’s outfit.

Should it be true that any MP, regardless of whatever political party he or she belong to, has violated the dress code of Parliament, then he or she should be told in private by the Chair or Parliament officer in charge of protocol.

It is very unseemly for a person to criticise in public another person’s mode of dressing. In this case, more so because we are talking about national leaders who should know how to behave.

As a woman leader, Kok has it twice as hard as she is a minority in a very male-dominated field. It is difficult to retain your feminity when you are working with men.

If she were to dress a bit too feminine, she would be accused of “taking part in a fashion show”. And, if she were to dress more formally, she would be accused of trying too hard to be “one of the guys”.

As such, Marcus should have been more gracious when he found that her attire “menjolok mata” and behaved in a gentlemanly manner by going through the proper channels to advise her instead of shaming her in public, on national television no less.

Elected representatives should be more focused on doing their jobs.

JULIANA P,
Kuala Lumpur.

Dad's Weight and Diet Linked to Offspring's Risk of Diabetes

ScienceDaily (Oct. 24, 2010) — Medical researchers have for the first time shown a link between a father's weight and diet at the time of conception and an increased risk of diabetes in his offspring.

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Medical researchers have for the first time shown a link between a father's weight and diet at the time of conception and an increased risk of diabetes in his offspring. (Credit: iStockphoto/Rob Friedman)

The finding, reported in the journal Nature, is the first in any species to show that paternal exposure to a high-fat diet initiates progression to metabolic disease in the next generation.

"We've known for a while that overweight mums are more likely to have chubby babies, and that a woman's weight before and during pregnancy can play a role in future disease in her children, partly due to the critical role the intrauterine environment plays in development," said study leader Professor Margaret Morris, from UNSW's School of Medical Sciences.

"But until now, the impact of the father's environment -- in terms of his diet -- on his offspring had not been investigated." The work formed the basis of the PhD study of Dr Sheau-Fang Ng, who showed that paternal environmental factors such as diet and weight are important contributors to disease in the next generation.

In the Nature study, male rats were fed a high fat diet to induce obesity and glucose intolerance and then mated with normal weight females. The resulting female offspring exhibited impaired glucose tolerance and insulin secretion as young adults.

"This is the first report of non-genetic, intergenerational transmission of metabolic consequences of a high fat diet from father to offspring," Professor Morris said.

"A family history of diabetes is one of the strongest risk factors for the disease; however until now, the extent of any influence of non-genetic paternal factors has been unclear."

Professor Morris said the research showed that overweight fathers can play a role in "programming" epigenetic changes in their offspring, possibly through effects on their sperm caused by their consumption of high-fat food. Epigenetics is a process whereby changes in gene expression -- and hence function -- can occur even when there are no alterations in the DNA sequence.

Professor Morris said the study expands our understanding of the role environmental factors might play on a child's physiology and metabolism.

"It adds another level to our understanding of the causes of the growing epidemics in obesity and diabetes," she said. "While here we studied female offspring, we need to examine whether the effect is also found in males."

The work was carried out in collaboration with scientists in the UNSW Schools of Medical Sciences and Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, the Garvan Institute, and the University of Adelaide.
Professor Morris will present the findings at the Australia and New Zealand Obesity Society meeting in Sydney.

Editor's Note: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.

University of New South Wales (2010, October 24). Dad's weight and diet linked to offspring's risk of diabetes. ScienceDaily. Retrieved October 24, 2010, from http://www.sciencedaily.com­ /releases/2010/10/101021103121.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily+%28ScienceDaily%3A+Latest+Science+News%29

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See Also:

Health & Medicine

• Diet and Weight Loss
• Obesity
• Diabetes
• Cholesterol
• Nutrition
• Fitness

Reference

• Diabetes mellitus type 2
• Glycemic index
• Diabetic diet
• South Beach diet

Sound of the Underground: New Acoustic Early Warning System for Landslide Prediction

ScienceDaily (Oct. 23, 2010) — A new type of sound sensor system has been developed to predict the likelihood of a landslide.

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A diagram of the acoustic monitoring system. (Credit: Image courtesy of Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council)

Thought to be the first system of its kind in the world, it works by measuring and analysing the acoustic behaviour of soil to establish when a landslide is imminent so preventative action can be taken.

Noise created by movement under the surface builds to a crescendo as the slope becomes unstable and so gauging the increased rate of generated sound enables accurate prediction of a catastrophic soil collapse.

The technique has been developed by researchers at Loughborough University, in collaboration with the British Geological Survey, through two projects funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).

The detection system consists of a network of sensors buried across the hillside or embankment that presents a risk of collapse. The sensors, acting as microphones in the subsoil, record the acoustic activity of the soil across the slope and each transmits a signal to a central computer for analysis.

Noise rates, created by inter-particle friction, are proportional to rates of soil movement and so increased acoustic emissions mean a slope is closer to failure. Once a certain noise rate is recorded, the system can send a warning, via a text message, to the authorities responsible for safety in the area. An early warning allows them to evacuate an area, close transport routes that cross the slope or carry out works to stabilise the soil.

Neil Dixon, professor of geotechnical engineering at Loughborough University and principal investigator on the project, explains how the system -- thought to be a global first -- works. "In just the same way as bending a stick creates cracking noises that build up until it snaps, so the movement of soil before a landslide creates increasing rates of noise," said Professor Dixon.

"This has been known since the 1960s, but what we have been able to do that is new is capture and process this information so as to quantify the link between noise and soil displacement rates as it happens, in real time -- and hence provide an early warning," he added.

The system is now being developed further to produce low cost, self-contained sensors that do not require a central computer. This work, which is being carried out under the second project funded by EPSRC, is focused on manufacture of very low cost sensors with integrated visual and/or audible alarms, for use in developing countries. Ongoing work includes field trials, market research and planning commercial exploitation of the technology.

"The development of low cost independent acoustic slope sensors has only become possible in very recent times due to the availability of microprocessors that are fast, small and cheap enough for this task," says Dixon.

As well as the life-saving implications for countries prone to disastrous landslides, the technique can also be used in monitoring the condition of potentially unstable slopes built to support transport infrastructure, such as rail and road embankments, in developed countries such as the UK.

Current development work is being funded through Loughborough University's knowledge transfer account, a fund supplied by EPSRC to help commercial exploitation of inventions arising from its research projects. A commercially available Alarms sensor is expected to be launched in the next two years.

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Earth & Climate

• Natural Disasters
• Landslides
• Earthquakes
• Environmental Policy
• Tsunamis
• Geography

Reference

• Landslide
• Geotechnical engineering
• Earthquake liquefaction
• Engineering geology