HONDA

Honda's July global output jumps on demand for Fit

TOKYO (AP) - Honda reported that its global production in July jumped 17.7 percent to 342,152 vehicles, a record for that month, highlighting the Japanese automaker's solid growth amid serious trouble at American rivals.

While soaring gas prices have hurt the world's auto industry, Honda's global sales have grown, led by the Fit subcompact, which was the best-selling car in Japan in July for the ninth month in a row.

Mazda Motor Corp. also reported robust global production for July - up 25.5 percent to 126,025 vehicles.

The Hiroshima-based partner of U.S. automaker Ford Motor Co. credited healthy demand for Mazda2, sold as the Demio in Japan, and Mazda6, or Atenza in Japan, for the production increase.

Honda Motor Co., the country's second-biggest automaker, produces more autos overseas than at home. Output abroad shot up 19.3 percent to 229,996 vehicles, while domestic production rose 14.5 percent to 112,156, the first rise in 11 months.

Behind the growth was record production in North America and Asia in July, it said.

July's total output was shy of Honda's monthly production record of 363,532 vehicles last October.

All the world's automakers are struggling to shift their product offerings from the more profitable but gas-guzzling trucks and sport utility vehicles to smaller models.

Honda's exports declined in July for the third straight month at 56,415 vehicles, down 6.9 percent from a year ago.

Despite a falling dollar that hurts the earnings of global Japanese exporters, Honda reported a record 179.6 billion yen (US$1.68 billion) profit for a fiscal first quarter.

U.S. auto sales slumped to a 16-year low in July as automakers failed to keep up with consumers' growing demand for smaller, more fuel-efficient vehicles.

American sales at Ford, General Motors Corp. and even Toyota Motor Corp. are falling by double-digits.

Honda had reported U.S. sales increases in the last few months as consumers flocked to its fuel-efficient cars.

But Honda's sales fell 2 percent in July, as a 22 percent drop in truck and SUV sales dragged on a 14 percent surge in Honda's car sales.

SOURCE: http://thestar.com.my

Thursday July 31, 2008

Touch therapy

By WONG LI ZA

Infant massage can help in baby’s growth and well-being.

A MASSAGE is usually what a mother needs after a long day of looking after her children.

Datuk Dr Zulkifli Ismail, consultant paediatrician and former president of the Malaysian Paediatric Association, demonstrating the Touch Infant Massage technique for a baby’s leg, which includes bringing the knees up to the body.

However, studies from as far back as 1997 show that massaging babies not only relaxes the child but also has physical and psychosocial benefits.

There are many medical practitioners who think more in-depth research needs to be done to substantiate this.

However, Datuk Dr Zulkifli Ismail, consultant paediatrician and former president of the Malaysian Paediatric Association, said a gentle massage revitalises any individual and it works the same for babies.

“Massages can help a baby increase his body weight, strengthen his resistance and help build self-confidence,” said Dr Zulkifli, who adopts massage techniques advocated by the Touch Research Institute (TRI).

Among the techniques in the Touch Infant Massage set of techniques are (from top pic) the chest, back, hand, and leg massage.

The TRI was established in 1992 by Dr Tiffany Field, a pioneer of modern massage research, at the University of Miami’s School of Medicine via a start-up grant from Johnson & Johnson.

Dr Zulkifli added that studies have also shown that massage reduces the intensity and duration of colic in babies.

“In children with sleep problems, massages help them fall asleep faster and they have fewer night wakings,” said Dr Zulkifli, who specialises in paediatric cardiology.

Johnson’s Baby recently launched its Touch Infant Massage Workshop Series in Petaling Jaya, which saw the first workshop conducted involving about 200 mothers and nurses.

These workshops, to be held in seven states from July to October, will involve demonstrations of proper infant and baby massage techniques by qualified trainers.

A 2007 AC Nielsen survey on 300 Malaysian mothers with babies aged up to 36 months showed that the incidence of infant massage increased from 48% in 2003 to 56% in 2007.

However, Stanford Guo, marketing director of Johnson & Johnson Sdn Bhd, said there is still a large number of mothers who do not practise it.

“Physiological and psychiatric studies have shown that infant massage or touch therapy can trigger notable changes that help infants attain growth and development in several positive ways,” said Guo at the launch.

Another study conducted in Hospital Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia between 2000 and 2001 on 72 babies showed that moderate touch on skin leads to better food absorption and also relieves stress, thus improving immune function.

These findings are consistent with clinical studies presented in 1997 at the American Academy of Paediatrics (AAP) annual meeting. The studies found that touch therapy also helps premature newborns gain weight faster, asthmatic children improve their breathing function and diabetic children comply with treatment.

In 1997, researchers at TRI also found improved motor development in premature newborns and cocaine-exposed infants, specifically in terms of habituation (decrease in responsiveness upon repeated exposure to a stimulus), orientation and motor and sensory development.

The top three benefits of massaging babies, Dr Zulkifli said, are weight gain, bonding between parent and child, and better psychosocial development of the child.

“Infant massage is about empowering parents with the knowledge to care for the child,” said Dr Zulkifli, who also encourages fathers to perform the massage.

The complete Touch Infant Massage advocated by Johnson’s Baby consists of a set of techniques performed on the baby’s head and face, chest, stomach, back, hands and legs. Throughout the massage, it is important to maintain eye contact, and sing or talk to the baby.

“The use of baby oil is optional,” said Dr Zulkifli. “For older babies, you can use slightly more pressure on the stomach to reduce wind.

“Remember to keep the room warm and also rub your hands to warm them up. Be relaxed when you do the massage and don’t do it when you are in a rush as your baby can sense how you feel through your touch and expression,” he said.

The Touch Infant Massage workshops will be held in Ipoh on Aug 2, Penang on Aug 3, Seremban on Aug 9, Johor Baru on Aug 10, Petaling Jaya on Aug 17 and Temerloh on Oct 11. For enquiries or registration, call 1-300-88-0566 on weekdays from 9am to 5pm.


ARTICLES SOURCE: http://thestar.com.my

HYGIENE SURVEY

Home hygiene survey
Tan Teong Li



THE Hygiene Council, a global initiative supported by Dettol, recently revealed the following results in the annual Dettol Global Hygiene Survey.

The survey is based on interviews conducted with over 10,000 people from 10 countries about hygiene practices in the home and community.

• 70% of swabs and samples taken in Malaysia were highly contaminated. The dirtiest items were cloths – 100% were heavily contaminated.

• Malaysian homes had the most heavily contaminated sites (70%), with Indian homes coming in second (57%) and German homes (6%) being the least contaminated.

• Most Malaysians (47%) agree that hand washing is the most effective way to prevent the spread of germs. However, 31% said they spend less than 20 seconds in the process.

• Most Malaysians (71%) believe that the rubbish bin posed the highest risk of transmitting germs to family members.

According to the survey, which included 1,000 Malaysians, more people agreed that hand washing is the most effective way to prevent the spread of germs (47%), followed by disinfecting surfaces (29%), keeping animals out of homes (12%), avoiding kissing (7%) and disinfecting laundry (2%).

A large majority (80%) said that their children wash their hands before eating. However, when asked how long they spent doing it, 34% said five seconds and another 34% said 10 seconds.

Asian Hygiene Council chairman Dr Christopher Lee said: "The optimum time for washing hands is 20 seconds.

"Washing hands is the most inexpensive, simple and highly effective method for significantly preventing the spread of diseases."

The kitchen cloth is universally one of the most contaminated items in the home. Some 89% of kitchen cloths across the world have unsatisfactory levels of bacteria and 78% are heavily contaminated (it is 100% in Malaysia).

This means that when cleaning up, bacteria will be spread all over the kitchen – the opposite effect of cleaning.

Overall, Malaysia had the most contaminated homes in the study, followed by India.

Malaysia had the dirtiest bathroom taps, with 95% failing the standard and 75% being found to be heavily contaminated. Detailed results showed high levels of E. coli (on 50% samples).

"Greater emphasis needs to be placed on using simple, effective hygiene habits such as proper and regular hand washing and surface disinfection," said Catherine Tantoco, marketing director of Reckitt Benckiser (Malaysia and Singapore), the manufacturers of Dettol.

"The public should use disinfectant on frequently touched surfaces such as light switches, door handles, bins and toys.

"Dettol is committed to promoting good hygiene practices in the community not just through the quality of its products but also through public education initiatives.

"As a brand, we continue to be trusted by doctors and mothers because we are scientifically proven to kill germs and prevent the spread of infection," she added.

The work of the Asian Hygiene Council is supported by Dettol through an educational grant.

ARTICLES SOURCE: http://www.sun2surf.com