BENEFITS & RISK OF NEEM

 

By : Husna Hysham 

Neem comes with a whole lot of benefits. Neems are known for their anti bacterial properties which are why they work wonders in treating any kind of infection or diseases. Neem is used to treat leprosy, eye disorder, intestinal problems, diabetes, heart and blood vessels, chickenpox, skin problems, burns, infection, birth control and many more.

Mostly used parts to make medicines are the barks, leaves and seeds. Sometimes, the roots and flowers are used. Neem flowers (also known as Vepampoo in Tamil) can be used dried, fresh or in powdered form. They are used as garnish over food items. Neem flowers have the tendency to treat anoerexia, nausea and intestinal problems. According to Ayurveda, Neem flowers have calming effects which is why they are used for aromatherapy. The barks and twigs of the Neem are used in a very interesting way. If you are brought up in an Indian family, you would know about ‘Neem Toothbrush’. In India, people would chew on twigs of Neem or use them to make a toothbrush. By doing so, it helps free your mouth from bacteria, treats swollen gums and give you whiter teeth. Neem is also used in cosmetic product. One example is the Neem oil. Neem oil is made from Neem seeds. It is rich in medicinal properties. Neem is also used in soaps, creams and various cosmetic products. Neem has been used from a very long time before modern medicines were even introduced and up to today, people still rely on this plant for medicine. The taste of Neem is extremely bitter but it is very good for one’s health. 

Here are some ways you can use Neem leaves.

1. You can make a paste using just Neem leaves and turmeric to heal any wounds or cuts or insect bites on your body. In a few days times you will be able to see differences.

2. You can use Neem for your hair. Boil some Neem leaves till the water turn green and allow it to fully cool down. After washing your hair with any shampoo, use this water to just rinse your hair. It helps remove dandruff.

3. Neem also helps with sore eye. Boil some Neem leaves and let the water cool. Use a cloth to dab your eye with the water. It helps remove itchiness, redness and tiredness.

4. Neem helps in treating acne. Grind a few Neem leaves and make it into a paste. You can add a little bit of turmeric if you want. Then apply it daily on the affected area till the acne dries out. Neem helps remove impurities and bacteria on the skin.

5. Neem helps to boost your immune system. Take a few Neem leaves and crush them. Consume them with a glass of water. You can do this every day.
   
   

As much as there are many benefits of the Neem, there is also some risk to it. Not everyone can use Neem leaves. Some people have allergies when it comes to directly usage of plants. If you are using Neem for the first time, you might consider doing a patch test first before further using the product. Take a small amount and test it on your skin. Wait for 24 hours or so to see if you show any symptoms or allergies. If there is any irritation or itchiness, do discontinue and refer to your doctor for further treatment. Neem products are also not recommended for pregnant women or infants as it can cause miscarriage or side effects. Before using products with Neem, do check with your doctor if you are allowed to use them. Like I mentioned earlier, Neem is also used in birth control. 

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Global‌ ‌Warming‌ ‌is‌ ‌Getting‌ ‌Worse‌ ‌

 by: Nia Amira Najwa binti Azmi

 Global warming is an environmental condition that is experiencing high temperatures compared to normal temperatures. This causes us to feel hot even at night. The unpredictable weather conditions that saw unprecedented floods and severe drought problems are among the effects of global warming that has led to changes or disruptions to climate, habitat and ecosystems.

Global warming is a phenomenon of gas capture known as greenhouse gases involving gases (carbon dioxide (CO2), carbon monoxide (CO), chlorophyllocarbon (CFC), methane, nitrogen oxide) that prevents and captures the heat of the earth from being released into space.

This is due to human activities such as deforestation, industrial activities, open burning, smoke emission, forest exploration for development activities and more.

According to University of Malaysia (UKM) Professor of Climatology and Oceanography, Prof Dr Fredolin Tangang, the 2016 warming trend was declared as the third consecutive year in which temperatures have steadily increased since 2001 with 16 of the hottest 17 years during that period.

"Increasing CO2 concentration will capture heat in the Earth's climate system and over the last three decades the IPCC report also found that the earth's climate system is in equilibrium, receiving more heat from the sun than heat exiting the system.

"I expect this trend of rising temperatures to occur next year as the greenhouse gas concentration in the atmosphere increases as reported in the IPCC report,"

Haze occurs because there is a lot of dust, smoke, dust and other pollutants floating in the air as a result of human and natural activities. This haze phenomenon can reduce vision distances.

The greenhouse effect is a phenomenon of global warming due to the large amount of heat trapped within the atmosphere and prevents the return of heat from the earth to the atmosphere. Heat is reflected back to the earth, the atmosphere saves more heat and the earth gets warmer.

The above factors may have led to an increase in temperature to the earth. Take a look at the graph below that shows that the earth's temperature is rising rapidly over the years.

The effects and effects of global warming have also indirectly disrupted our country's climate and climate systems. Equatorial climates in the heat and humidity throughout the year have not reached normal levels due to the rise in temperatures.

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Street Photography Tips

 By: Megat Harris Iskandar

DON’T BE A PERFECTIONIST
Perfection is not required in street photography. I know getting a sharp images pleases everyone. However, we can’t always get a perfectly focused images as it does not turned out as what we want. Thus, sharpness is not everything, so break the rules! Get familiar and comfortable in knowing your gear. In case you missed the focus on your initial subject or mistakenly focuses on something else, you can always fix the image in post-editing by cropping and recompose it properly. It is a mistake, but it is a mistake that can be fix and turn into something else. Easy, don’t sweat yourself so much on becoming a perfectionist.

SHOOT IN ALL WEATHER

Of course it’s always nice to shoot on a sunny and warm weather because of the strong lights and hard shadows that complement your great photos. But that is so repetitive and it will get boring after a while when you only get the same type of shots. To get a completely different kind of shots you need to go shoot in all weather – raining, cold, fog, intense summer or even snow– which will help you rediscover a new or different way of shooting the same place that you have shot all the time. All those natural changes in weather gives you diversity that will avoid you from getting bored of shooting the same thing over and over again.

SEE DON’T CAPTURE!

In street photography, it is all about the expression of the world. It is how we see the world, how we perceive it, and how we express it to other people. Try to spend more time on observing the surroundings – scene of the daily life or works. Try to find what is interesting to your eyes and what stories do you want to share to your viewer. Before you start capturing you need to be able to have that vision. Whether you’re practicing with a camera or without a camera, you can always practice to visualise what surrounds you, what feels very interesting, what could make a very compelling stories for your eyes that you want to share to the rest of the world. Practice on observing and seeing before you ever get to click that shutter button! 

PRIME LENSES > ZOOM LENSES

Shooting with prime lenses just give you a better experience and get you to think differently about most of your shots due to the fixed focal length. It forces you to focus more on the composition which means you are going to move around more often to get the subject into the proper composition. Despite of the tiredness, this can be advantageous for you because you might get a unique story as you move around and have more interactions with your subject. The most important thing about prime lenses is that it gives you a wider aperture at a cheaper price and also let you shoot more discretely. We can all agree that being discrete or stealth when you are out on the street is a great advantage when we are trying to get a shots of – people, emotions, scene – because you don’t want to scare everyone with a giant zoom lenses and ended up not getting the shot or worsts, getting told off. Its efficient, budget wise, and dope shots! 

FORGET ABOUT SETTINGS!

First thing that you need to keep in mind while doing street photography is to focus more on what you are trying to capture and the story that you are trying to portray. Don’t spend too much time thinking about the settings of your camera or how you are going to capture them. Why? This is simply because while you are busy dialling all the perfect settings you might missed the perfect shot and action that you have had in your mind. Especially when it involves a moving subject – cars, bicycle, pedestrians, trams – you would have missed the shot hundred percent of the time if had to change your manual settings or tweak everything in your camera. This is when Aperture Priority Mode plays it roles. This mode basically let you set your aperture to control the depth of field so you can nail the focus and blur of the subject in the image. Super easy mode when you get the hang of it.

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BTS And ARMY Donates More Than $2 Million To Black Lives Matter

 by: Hanis Sophia 

The BTS fanbased fundraising group “One in an Army” started a campaign to raise funds for “Black Lives Matter” movement after the group donated $1 Million.

Bighit Entertainment, BTS’s music label, confirmed the group’s donation to the Black Lives Matter campaign organization.

“We stand against racial discrimination. We condemn violence. You and I, we all have the right to be respected. We will stand together. #BlackLivesMatter.” – BTSvia Twitter.

Their contribution represents as protests towards George Floyed’s death continue in the United States and around the world.

Floyd, 46, died while in police custody after former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin pressed his knee on Floyd’s neck for nine minutes during an arrest.

Chauvin has been arrested in connection to the incident.

Kailee Scales, managing director for Black Lives Matter, responded to BTS donation in statement to Variety on Sunday.

“Black people all over the world are in pain at this moment from the trauma of centuries of oppression,” Scales said.

“We are moved by the generosity of BTS and allies all over the world who stand in solidarity in the fight for Black Lives.” Continued Scales.

#MatchAMillion began after the statement of BTS’s $1 Million donation came out on Saturday.

In the first 24 hours of the #MatchAMillion trends, the overall raised by the fan group surpassed $817,000, based on the press release from One in Army posted on their official twitter fan account.

Shortly after on Sunday evening, the ARMY fundraiser announced on twitter that they have achieved their $1Million goal.

The extra $1Million was donated to “Bailouts for those thrown in jail for protesting police brutality.”

BTS fans used their power on social media to take over #WhiteoutWednesday, which began trending as a response #BlackLivesMatter and #BlackoutTeusday.

 

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14 Things All Malaysians Who Went To An All Girls School Will Know

 Written by Nanthini Suresh

It’s been a while since you’ve graduated from your all-girls school and you’re at work. While scrolling through Facebook on your break, you receive a message from an old friend inviting you to her wedding and you can’t help looking back on the good times. Well, here’s the perfect throwback post to accompany those fond memories!

Snapping the strap of your friend’s bra in the middle of class

Your friends did it to you and you did it to them because it was funny, that’s it. Sometimes, you just wanted to laugh at how your friend had to hold back a scream in the middle of class. But when she retaliated, padan muka lah!

Shouting across the classroom to ask for a pad when you’re all out

There was always an unsaid mutual understanding between you and your friends when it was about your monthly visitor. However, there was never a need to worry about not having a pad because you could always just shout out loud in the classroom to ask for one. Being able to walk to the toilet without having to hide the pad in your hand was so freeing, too. After all, why do we need to be embarrassed about it when there’s no boys around?

Being more open with girl-talks

Being in an all-girls school meant there was a lot of freedom to discuss puberty and what it does to girls. Without any boys around, you and your friends didn’t need to be embarrassed about discussing sensitive topics in class!

 Daring to change in the classroom before and after PE

Since everyone looked the same under their clothes, tere was no need to rush to the dirty school bathrooms to change before and after PE class. Someone would need to change first so they could jaga pintu, though! Later male teacher accidentally walk in how!

“Chatting” with the female teachers you were close to

You and your classmates would always anticipate the classes taught by the female teachers you were close to because it meant being able to sampat for the latest information. Once all of you were done with the work for the class, everyone was always eager to chat with the teacher. Can find out all the tea in the school easily!

Being worried about ghosts in the school

It didn’t matter whether or not there were actually ghosts, all the rumours going around the school or people claiming to have seen ghosts in the quieter areas of the school made you so scared, you and your friends always went to the toilet in pairs!

 Rolling your eyes whenever you’re told to act “proper”

Every time there were visitors coming to the school, you would have to resist groaning out loud at the guru disiplin when they told everyone to act like “proper” ladies. What was the definition of being a proper lady anyway?

Having very specific rules regarding your attire

Rules about the most specific areas of your attire, such as the length of your socks to the type of watch you were wearing would be enforced so strictly. You understood it was to enforce discipline, but what for watch also need to so restrictive?

…And the “cool girls” not following these rules

These were usually the “cool seniors” who left their pinafore unbuckled and slightly unzipped, or have long fingernails just because they could. Many of these seniors sported “boyish” hairstyles too and some even wore slippers to school despite not having any obvious injuries! Some of these “cool girls” were even in girl gangs that did bad things like group bullying and extortion, so you avoided them like the plague. There was no need to involve yourself with them!

The high participation rate in events where male students were invited

Studying in an all-girls school meant always anticipating events where students from all-boys schools would be invited. Since there was the concept of sister-brother schools, these events were quite common but everyone in school would still be really eager to participate in these events! Hey, not like can see boys everyday also!

Having a boyfriend was a very big deal

Any time a girl from your school was seen acting close with a guy, it was always assumed that the person was her boyfriend. Then she would easily become the talk of the kantin! These people were insta-famous before Instagram even existed!

All those rumours about who was a lesbian

Hearing about who liking who despite being in an all-girls school was very common. Although no confirmations ever surfaced, there would always be two types of teachers: the ones that did not see it as anything serious and the ones that were insistent on it being a sin. The teachers that saw it as a sin would sometimes even offer “counselling” to these rumoured lesbians too!

The emphasis on girl power

Studying in an all-girls school instilled the values of gender equality and independence in you. Posters emphasizing the power that girls had made you really proud of yourself and made you believe you could do anything. It also taught you that gender wasn’t a deciding factor in what you can and cannot do. After all, girls have the power to do the same things boys can do!

 Not understanding the labels your school was given

Nobody in your school knew how these labels came about. To most of the students in your school, these labels were around longer than they were. All you could do was explain to your relatives or cousins from other schools that no, you did not know why your school was called the nun school either.

Here’s a fun fact: All-girls schools might be called “nun schools” because convent schools refer to schools where many of the teachers are nuns!

We hope this list brought back fond memories for you.

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