Mi Choza De Nipa

By Dr Bill Maier Are you looking for a good way to strengthen your marriage ? Try playing tennis with your spouse, or going on a bike ride. It is a fact that couples who play together tend to stay together. Men place a great deal of importance on shared activities with their spouse, while women tend to thrive on emotional intimacy , which usually comes through just being together. My wife and I are into hiking and mountain biking and we've used those activities to bond, as well as to build a lot of great memories. Some of our best conversations have taken place on the hiking trail or on the bike path. The quickest way to let passion plummet in a relationship is to disconnect. If he's always off playing golf with his buddies, and she's meeting with her hobby club, emotional intimacy can fall by the wayside. The strongest couples learn to develop shared interests and ...

Fish oil pills, rather than new and expensive gadgets, may hold the key to dealing with violent prisoners. Taking a cue from their counterparts in the United Kingdom , the prison authorities here are also studying the effects of fish oil on reducing violent behaviour in inmates. These studies, however, are at a preliminary stage. If implemented, the Singapore Prison Service will be the first to explore the impact of fish oil supplements, which are rich in omega-3 fatty acid , on violent behaviour in an Asian incarcerated population . In a pilot study of 231 prisoners published in 2002, a group of University of Oxford researchers found that violent incidents, while in custody, were cut by more than a third among those given the supplements. Overall, offences recorded by the prison authorities fell by a quarter. Costs of administering nutritional supplements were also as low as 0.2 per cent of costs of the total expenses spent on incarcerating these offenders. Leong Wee Keat ----- ...

LAW AND ORDER But recidivism rate of 25.1% in 2006 represents 'excellent result' when compared to other countries: Shanmugam ----- Leong Wee Keat, weekeat@mediacorp.com.sg RECIDIVISM, which measures the rate of ex-offenders returning to crime, climbed slightly for those released in 2006. One out of every four ex-offenders went back to crime within two years of their release. This increase marks the second consecutive year relapse rates have climbed: after falling from 31.2 per cent in 2002 to 23.7 per cent in 2004, re-offending rates climbed to 24.2 per cent and 25.1 per cent for the next two years. Still, the recidivism rate for 2006 represents "an excellent result", when compared with similar penal systems in other developed countries , said Minister for Law and Second Minister for Home Affairs K Shanmugam yesterday. Calling it "unrealistic" to expect the recidivism rate to continuously decrease each year, Mr Shanmugam said the decreasing trend would oft...

By Dr Bill Maier Are you wondering if your 12-month-old is ever going to walk? Babies don’t always develop as quickly as we’d like and parents are natural worrywarts. A good friend of ours recalls watching his 13-month-old boy crawling around the room, while a 10-month-old playmate walked circles around him. At the time, he wondered if something might be wrong with his toddler . Of course, he was worried about nothing. Within a few months, he was running with the rest of his friends. No two babies develop at exactly the same rate, and it has nothing to do with intelligence or maturity. Physical skills are linked directly to brain growth, and brains develop at a pre-determined rate. It’s all written into our genetic make-up. Babies walk and talk when their bodies tell them it’s time. Obviously, nutrition and fitness are important, but beyond that, there’s not much we can do to hurry them along. From TODAY, Voices – Thursday, 07-May-2009

The term “ blended family ” may sound pleasant, but in reality, blending is not as easy as you might think! With today’s high divorce rate , stepfamilies are more common than ever. And that means more parents are raising stepchildren. Making a marriage work can be hard for any couple, but when you throw in the added pressure of step-parenting, it can often turn into a nightmare for everybody. In these situations, couples need to work through their roles and plan beforehand how decisions will be made regarding the children. The stepparent and biological parent should not function in a vacuum ; isolated from each other. A unified front is critical to raising healthy, happy children. For discipline to work, children need to understand that both their parent and their stepparent set the rules — and both have the authority to carry them out. Problems come when couples allow the kids to pit them against each other. From TODAY, Voices – Wednesday, 06-May-2009   ...

AWARE SAGA He regrets backing new exco in his sermon Alicia Wong alicia@mediacorp.com.sg SENIOR pastor of the Church Of Our Saviour Derek Hong has issued a public apology for using the pulpit to give backing to the Association of Women for Action and Research's (Aware) executive committee in their dispute with the group's previous leadership. "My actions on the pulpit have aroused some tension in this saga," he said, "I now stand corrected. I undertake to be more sensitive to similar situations in the future." Hackles were raised recently when he encouraged female churchgoers to "be engaged" and support Aware president Josie Lau and "her sisters" in the women advocacy group, in a weekend sermon posted on the church's website. Last Sunday, the pastor also invited his congregation to pray for Aware president Josie Lau and her husband, who stood next to Mr Hong on stage. "I regret that this matter has caused concern and unhappi...

Image by BL1961 via Flickr Finding out more about autism, does this mean that researchers and scientists may be able to find a cure for autism? Read the latest discovery on autism below. Brain abnormality found in autistic tots: report - Yahoo! Singapore News Related articles by Zemanta Enlarged brain region found in toddlers with autism: study (cbc.ca) Autism and the Amygdala (medicineandtechnology.com) Toddler brain difference linked to autism (cnn.com)

An EGM (Extra General Meeting) for AWARE was held, and the story goes that Old Guard, then ousted by New Guard, came back, with a league of strong members, to also oust the New Guard. And the very touchy and sensitive issues of homosexuality and religion were among those discussed. Read full story below. A Coming of Age of Civil Society - Yahoo! Singapore News

By Dr Bill Maier Kids today have more homework than ever. They definitely need some guidelines to help them get through it all. Here are some ideas you might want to try. First, set aside a specific location for homework. A kitchen table can be distracting, especially if it is near a window. If possible, set up a desk that is private and well-lit, away from noise and activity. Make sure your children have all the books and resources they need at their fingertips. Second, help them get organised. Get them a good file, with separate pockets and pages for each class, and teach them to track their assignments on a daily planner. Finally, get them into a regular routine. Doing homework at the same time and place each day eliminates arguments like, “Can’t I do it after dinner?” Sometimes, the best way to solve “homework hassles” is by establishing a few good homework habits. From TODAY, Voices – Tuesday, 05-May-2009

The Ministry of Education (MOE) said yesterday that some parents have expressed concern over the content found in an “AWARE Comprehensive Sexual Education: Basic Instructor Guide” that has been posted online. The MOE said it was investigating this matter. Apart from MOE’s own sexuality education programme, the ministry said that “schools can also collaborate with other agencies”. In doing so, schools must ensure that any programmes run by external agencies are guided by the same principles set out in MOE’s framework for sexuality education, said the ministry.   Why do schools engage external agencies? As the needs of students vary across schools, schools are given the autonomy to decide on topics that would best meet their students’ needs to augment sexuality education in schools; and also on which external agency to engage. For this purpose, guidelines on the engagement of external organisations to conduct sexuality education have been given to schools. What are ...

These are the days when "men are not willing to listen to sound advice, but will heap up preachers and teaching to satisfy their itching ears…" No wonder Aware's programmes are so thwarted, their endorser is already a thwarted fellow! ----- THE sex education workshops conducted by Aware at 11 secondary schools last year was fully subsidised, thanks to a donation from the Chen Su Lan Trust. Each workshop cost between $500 and $600 but was free for the schools, which have not yet been named publicly. Yesterday, former Aware president Constance Singam revealed to Today that $35,000 out of the $113,000 donated by the Chen Su Lan Trust last year was spent on the free Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) workshops at schools. Asked if he was aware of the content of the CSE programme, Reverend Yap Kim Hao, the chairman of the Chen Su Lan Trust, said that he had been given a "rough outline" of the programme, but he had not seen the teaching materials. When Today show...

On some points, I agree with the writer… two becoming one doesn't necessarily mean enslaving or dominating or dissolving the other person completely; the unity is simply more than just what we perceive. There is more to a person than what we see or hear. The unspoken and unheard, the unuttered and unannounced, the hushed… when becoming one means being one in thought, but not in the execution, one in mind, but not in the action… one in emotion, but different in the presentation or display of affection… ----- btw: ON DIFFERENCES IN A RELATIONSHIP ANA OW MY HUSBAND cannot see the light – when it comes to the styles of furnishings and fixtures that I prefer for our new apartment, that is. D and I have been shopping for pendant lights over the past few weekends and the number of items that we both like are a dismal few. "Sorry, but we are not having a pseudo-baroque chandelier in our bedroom," was D's last word on the matter after a couple of minor spats. He did, however,...

May this remind all of us of God's goodness, faithfulness and love, and that we will remain rooted and built up in Him all the days of our life. ----- Timmy was a little five year old boy that his Mom loved very much and, being a worrier, she was concerned about him walking to school when he started Kindergarten. She walked him to school a couple of days but when he came home one day, he told his mother that he did not want her walking him to school every day. He wanted to be like the big boys. He protested loudly, so she had an idea of how to handle it. She asked a neighbor, Mrs. Goodnest, if she would surreptitiously follow her son to school, at a distance behind him that he would not likely notice, but close enough to keep a watch on him. Mrs. Goodnest said that since she was up early with her toddler anyway, it would be a good way for them to get some exercise as well, so she agreed. The next school day, Mrs. Goodnest and her little girl, Marcy, set out following behind Timmy a...

SEXUALITY EDUCATION Don't just leave it to schools or authorities Letter from Woon Sook Yi I REFER to "Content of sessions was appropriate" from Ms Sum Chee Wah, director of Education Programmes, Ministry of Education (MOE) (April 29). I write as a parent of three children. I can tell the scope of subjects taught in school from its textbooks. However, family values cannot be adequately taught in school. A child's identity is largely shaped by his or her family values and upbringing, moral and religious beliefs included. A child's growth encompasses his or her emotional, physical and mental needs, as well as awareness of his or her sexuality. All these needs should be fundamentally addressed at home. Therefore, I would suggest that the MOE relook its scope on guiding students over such non-textbook, sensitive issues. Sexuality education in particular. Sexuality education delivered by external parties, who are also shaped by a value system, cannot be neutral or bala...

By Dr Bill Maier People who grow up happy and successful often credit their achievements to a supportive family. So how do we develop that kind of encouraging environment in our home? One good way is to quickly acknowledge positive behavior in our kids. When we see them helping someone else we should reward them with praise. You might say to your son, "Thanks for giving your brother a hand with that, John." We should also resist the urge to compare our kids with each other, or with someone else's kids. Never say to your child, "Why can't you be more like your sister," or "You don't see David acting that way." Instead, focus on their effort and their willingness to try. You might say something like "I really appreciate you working so hard to bring your spelling grades up." The key is to actively look for ways that you can be supportive, and to teach your kids to do the same thing. An encouraging household is crucial to raising healthy,...

By Dr James Dobson There is nothing wrong with feeling good about our children's success. But problems can crop up when a kid's performance is driven by parental ego. This can be seen when a child has to keep winning in order to maintain respect and love from his parents. Boys and girls should know that they are accepted simply because of their own unique worth. I am reminded of John McKay, a former football coach at the University of Southern California (USC). I saw him being interviewed on television some years ago when his son, John Jr, was a successful football player on the USC team. The interviewer had asked Coach McKay to comment on the pride that he must have felt over his son's accomplishments. His answer was most impressive. "Yes," he replied. "I'm pleased that John had a good season last year. He does a fine job and I'm proud of him. But I would be just as proud if he had never played the game at all." Coach McKay was saying, in effect...

Anybody knew about this alleged unwholesome sex education by AWARE, not to mention their endorsement of "pink parents" concept, a family unit made up to 2 gays or 2 lesbians, and an adopted child? Would be good to come out in the open… ----- AWARE'S SEXUALITY EDUCATION PROGRAMME Letter from Sum Chee Wah (Ms) Director, Education Programmes Ministry of Education (MOE) WE REFER to recent claims and comments about Aware's sexuality education programme in schools. Sexuality education conducted in MOE schools is premised on the importance of the family, and respect for the values and beliefs of the different ethnic and religious communities on sexuality issues. The aim is to help students make responsible values-based choices on matters involving sexuality. Core programmes are delivered by teachers but schools do collaborate with other agencies in delivering additional modules. However, in doing so, schools must ensure that programmes run by external agencies are secular an...