Loners who need help

From TODAY, Voices
Friday August 8, 2008

I once served as a counsellor at a secondary school, and one afternoon, I saw a student, whose name was Manny, in the hall crying uncontrollably. I invited him into my office where he told me what was bothering him. Manny said: “In the whole world, I don’t have one friend. Not one. There’s not a person alive who cares whether I live or die. I don’t go to school parties or football games because there’s no one to go with. I never have anyone to even talk to, and sometimes, I think I can’t stand it anymore.”

A year later, I was talking to the vice principal in charge of discipline at that same school, and he said: “Hey, do you remember a student named Manny, who used to follow you around campus? Well, he did the strangest thing today. He’s never been a troublemaker, but another student said something insulting to him, and he picked up a knife and stabbed the boy.

“I wonder what would make a good kid do something like that, especially when he’s never seemed to have any big problems before?” Well, Manny’s violent behaviour fits a familiar pattern. How many times have you read about a loner, a quiet young man living in a neighbourhood, who turns out to be a killer? In most of those cases, isolation and loneliness play a role.

Human beings are social creatures with great needs for acceptance and respect. In some particularly vulnerable individuals, the failure to find a niche is not only uncomfortable, it can even be fatal.

Churchill’s enduring legacy

From TODAY, Voices
Thursday August 7, 2008

FOCUS ON THE FAMILY
By Dr James Dobson

I confess that if I could spend one afternoon with any famous person who had ever lived during my lifetime, I’d spend it with Mr Winston Churchill.

Mr Churchill had a pitiful start in life. He was born premature, and was a weak and sickly boy with a speech impediment. He received virtually no affection from his parents, and he was at best, a mediocre student in school.

He had more failures than successes in his political career, but his persistence paid off: He eventually became Prime Minister of Britain. Up until then, the media had ridiculed him because of his opposition to Hitler.

What I admire most about Winston Churchill was his dogged determination to do what was right, against all odds. His first speech as Prime Minister to the House of Commons (May 10, 1940,) is legendary. “I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat ... You ask, what is our policy? I say it is to wage war by land, sea and air ...

“What is our aim? I can answer in one word. Victory ... victory however long and hard the road may be, for without victory there is no survival.” In time, Mr Churchill led England to that victory. And he went to his final rest in 1965.

I hope that Winston Churchill’s legacy will encourage you in the midst of your battles today. To victory!

THE MAN WHO DISCOVERED THE FLAW

From TODAY, World
Thursday August 7, 2008

Mr Dan Kaminsky (picture) was typing in bed in February when he discovered a design flaw that could turn the Web into a playground for criminals. He called his girlfriend, Web developer Crystal Williams, the Seattle Post Intelligencer website reported.

“I broke the Internet,” he said.

“What do you mean you broke the Internet?” she asked.

Mr Kaminsky, 29, hadn’t really broken anything. But the researcher for cybersecurity consultancy IOActive had uncovered a flaw in the Web’s virtual address book, also known as Domain Name Services.

You might think you’re logging into your bank, but you’ve actually been redirected to a bogus site. Suddenly, there’s no money in your balance.

Mr Kaminsky, whose job title is “director of penetration testing”, announced his discovery on July 8.

By then however, he had assembled a group of experts who worked in secret on a solution involving patches — software tweaks that cover the security hole. But Mr Kaminsky worries that roughly 41 per cent of the Internet is still vulnerable. Agencies

Hole in the Web

From TODAY
Thursday August 7, 2008

Internet Flaw
Experts fear open season for virus attacks, fraud scams

SAN FRANCISCO — A giant vulnerability in the Internet is allowing criminals to silently redirect traffic to websites under their control. The problem is being fixed, but its extent remains unknown and many people are still at risk.

The security hole enables a scam that targets ordinary people who type in a legitimate Web address. But hackers can manipulate the machines that help computers find websites.

If the trick is done properly, computer users are unlikely to detect whether they’ve landed at a legitimate site or an evil twin run by someone bent on fraud.

The flaw was revealed nearly a month ago. Since then, criminals have pulled off at least one successful attack, directing AT&T customers in Texas to a fake Google site.

The phony page was accompanied by three programmes that automatically clicked on ads, with profits for those clicks going to the hackers.

Said Mr Paul Vixie, president of Internet Systems Consortium, a non-profit software publisher: “This is the mother lode, from the point of view of criminals looking for easier access to other people’s money and secrets.”

The flaw is in the Domain Name System (DNS), a network of servers that translates words typed into browsers into numbers that computers understand. By adding bad information to the packets of data passing through DNS servers, hackers can swap the address of a legitimate website for a malicious website.

Security experts now fear an open season for virus attacks and identity-fraud scams. “It’s like saying: `There’s a bunch of money on the street. If you can get over there soon enough, you can get it,”’ said VeriSign chief technology officer Ken Silva. AP

Wrong leg amputated

Asians in the US

From TODAY, World
Thursday August 7, 2008

All because of his poor command of English...

WASHINGTON — One Asian had the wrong leg amputated, while another was thrown in jail for not taking her medication — all because of their limited English proficiency in the United States.

The cases may seem appalling but they are not uncommon to Asian Americans.

More than 30 per cent of 14 million Asian Americans — most of whom are foreign born — are weak in the English language, making them less likely to understand explanations of medical procedures and medication instructions, officials said.

They also risk losing equal access to voting rights and education and other government services because of the language barrier.

An ethnic Hmong American “had the wrong leg amputated in a surgery”, said US House of Representatives lawmaker Mike Honda.

Mr Honda has introduced legislation with bipartisan support aimed at honing the English language skills of immigrants.

“Because no translators were provided, the man’s son was left with no choice but to try to interpret the consent form himself, and it was sadly misinterpreted,” said Mr Honda.

The Japanese-American lawmaker cited another case, of a Lao woman suffering from tuberculosis who was “imprisoned for not taking her medication.

“Her English proficiency was limited, and the necessity of taking her medication was never explained to her.

Thankfully, she filed a lawsuit for wrongful imprisonment and won,” Mr Honda said.

“These stories are not uncommon to Asian American and Pacific islanders and other minority communities,” he said.

Studies show that Asian Americans are the most “linguistically isolated” racial groups in the United States.

About 22 per cent of adults who spoke an Asian language spoke English not well or not at all, according to the 2000 census.

The percentage of seniors 65 and older in that category was 51 per cent.

Among households where an Asian language is primary, 30 per cent were considered to be linguistically isolated.

When disaggregated, the percentages are even greater among South-east Asian groups: 45 per cent of Vietnamese Americans, 31.8 per cent of Cambodian and Laotian Americans, and 35.1 per cent of Hmong Americans were linguistically isolated. AFP

HOW TO STOP KIDS FROM BULLYING

From TODAY, Voices
Wednesday August 6, 2008

Why do boys harass and intimidate each other in school or on the playground?

The Journal of Developmental Psychology recently conducted a study of 452 boys in upper primary, and it revealed that those who taunt weaker peers and are rebellious at school are often the most popular children in their class. Dr Phillip Rodkin of Duke University explained the dynamic with this statement: “These boys may internalise the idea that aggression, popularity, and control naturally go together, and they may not hesitate to use physical aggression as a social strategy because it has worked in the past.” In other words, bullies are rewarded socially for harassing children below them in the pecking order, which explains why so many of them do it.

As parents, it’s our responsibility to preserve the mental and physical health of our children. I don’t buy the old argument that children should be left to work out their problems on their own. If a child is being bullied by his peers, don’t be afraid to step in and intervene.

In doing so, you will be sending a clear message to the children around you about what kind of behaviour will and will not be tolerated by society. And that’s a lesson that every child needs to learn. It is possible to stop kids from bullying. More than that, it’s our obligation.

Cut the GST?

From TODAY, Voices
Wednesday August 6, 2008

Direct transfers the better way
This way will benefit lower and mid-income households, senior citizens and students

Letter from Chin Sau Ho
Director
Corporate Communications & Services
Ministry of Finance

CONRAD Raj (“The right time to step in?”, Aug 4) called for the Government to come up with measures to help Singaporeans cope with higher inflation, and suggested a cut in the GST rate.

His article omits mention of the Substantial benefits that the Government is providing to the majority of Singaporeans this year, including the middle-income groups and not just “the very poor amongst us”.

Budget 2008 provided Growth Dividends, Senior Citizens’ Bonuses, Post Secondary Education Account (PSEA) Topups for families with children, and Medisave top-ups for older Singaporeans.

Furthermore, the GST credits, Utilities-Save rebates and Service & Conservancy Charges (S&CC) rebates that were introduced in last year’s GST Offset Package continue to run this year and for the next few years.

Together with Workfare for lower income workers, which was also introduced when the GST was raised, the Government will be giving out more than $3 billion in benefits to Singaporeans this year alone.

Adding up the benefits within each household, the majority of Singaporean households are receiving benefits that would match or exceed the increases in the costs of living that they face as a result of this year’s higher inflation.

The lower income groups get more assistance, relative to their expenditures.

But the typical middle-income household staying in a four- or five-room HDB flat will also get benefits that at least match their extra expenditures caused by the higher inflation.

This is a better approach than cutting the GST, which will benefit the rich disproportionately, as they consume and pay more GST than lower- and middle-income Singaporeans.

The current Government approach of direct transfers is a more targeted and effective way to help Singaporeans cope with higher inflation.

This way, lower- and middle-income households, senior citizens and students receive more benefits, which they can use according to their needs.

The right time to step in?

From TODAY, Business
Monday August 4, 2008

MONDAY BLUES
Hurt by rising costs, SMEs and man on the street would welcome every bit of help

CON RAD RAJ
editor-at-large conrad@mediacorp.com.sg

THE current economic slowdown brought about by the United States’ sub-prime crisis and high oil prices is causing much hardship to the less well off and to many businesses, especially smaller ones. So, is it time for the Government to step in and come up with measures to alleviate their suffering?

The public at large would say yes, while the Government continues to stress that one shouldn’t panic and tweak the economy at the first sign of a storm. But then again, when is it a good or right time?

Inflation, at 7.5 per cent in June this year, is currently running at the highest level in more than 26 years. As a result, many have called for a cut or rollback of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) from 7 per cent now to its previous level of 5 per cent.

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) in April helped ease the pain somewhat by allowing an immediate jump in the value of the Singapore dollar by moving up the range in which it allowed the local currency to fluctuate. This should bring about cheaper imports, but not all the gains have been passed down to the consumer.

But Trade and Industry Minister Lim Hng Kiang see the present situation as a momentary setback and he said as much a couple of months ago: “It is not useful to tweak the GST rate in response to short-term phenomena and we have adopted an approach aimed at the medium term.”

Yes, it’s true that the present slowdown is not as bad as in 1997, when the regional financial crisis caused the stock market to fall sharply and the economy shrank by 2 per cent between the second quarter of 1997 and the third quarter of 1998.

The Government responded with an off-Budget package, injecting some $2 billion into the economy in June 1998 in an attempt to reduce business costs. The following year, another package of cost-cutting measures amounting to $10.5 billion was implemented, including a 10-percentage-point cut in employer CPF contributions.

There were two other periods when the Government introduced off-Budget measures to bring relief to the economy. First was during the 1973 oil crisis when the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries suddenly raised oil prices sharply. Then the Government allowed the Singapore dollar to float to help reduce prices of imports. It also lifted import controls on essential commodities, and took measures against profiteering.

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If we reduce the GST by even 1 percentage point, that might help (people cope) with inflation.
The Hour Glass founder Jannie Tay
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The National Trades Union Congress came in with “Welcome” supermarkets, where many items, especially essentials, were much cheaper than elsewhere.

Then in 1985 — following the Pan-Electric Industries scandal where the financial problems of the group threatened the whole economy because of illegal share trading and borrowings — the Government intervened with wage cuts and other reductions to business costs.

But during the Sars crisis of 2003, the Government largely stood its ground and introduced little by way of off-Budget measures, except for some pay cuts for government servants and a $430-million package (including $200 million from the Singapore Tourism Board) for the hospitality and travel industry, which was the worst hit.

Now, high inflation, rising transportation costs and sky-high oil and commodity prices have sharply reduced the purchasing power of the average Joe.

It is also hurting many small and medium-sized businesses.

Hopefully, the present downturn will not last too long.

Yes, the Government has introduced some measures to help the very poor among us. But then again, some tweaking of the economy to ease the burden of the man in the street would be most welcome. A cut in the GST will certainly help. As Singapore Retailers Association president and The Hour Glass founder Jannie Tay recently said: “If we reduce the GST by even 1 percentage point, that might help with inflation.”

In any case, it will not be a total loss to the Government, as increased spending should put some money back into the Government’s coffers and should bring the smiles back to retailers — and the gesture of a Government that cares will be noted.

After all, Hong Kong unveiled a package last month worth some HK$11 billion ($1.9 billion) to try and ease the effect of rising prices. The measures targeted lower- and middle-income groups and include transport subsidies for students, an electricity subsidy for every household and extra allowance for pensioners.

With more and more wise men predicting that the worst of the sub-prime crisis is still not over, the time has come to start thinking of a package of off-Budget measures.

When Parents Remarry

From TODAY Voices
Tuesday August 5, 2008

By Dr James Dobson

Yesterday, we talked about blended families and the special challenges they typically face. Our focus was on the kids and their difficulties in accepting a step-parent or living with new siblings.

But the more serious problem common among reconstituted families concerns the way the new husband and wife feel about their kids. Each is irrationally committed to his or her own flesh and blood, while they’re merely acquainted with the others.

When fights or insults occur between both sets of kids, they’re almost always partial to the ones whom they brought into this world.

The natural tendency is to let the blended family dissolve into armed camps: Us against them. If kids sense this tension between their parents, they’ll exploit it to gain power over their siblings. Unless there are ways to work out these issues, some terrible battles can occur.

Given these challenges, it’s clear why the probabilities of second and third marriages being successful are considerably lower than the first.

It is possible to blend families successfully and millions have done it, but the task is difficult, and you may need some help in pulling it off.

That’s why I strongly suggest that those planning to remarry seek professional counselling as early as possible. It may be expensive, but another divorce would be even more costly.

I crave for ice now

From TODAY Health – Eating Disorder
Tuesday August 5, 2008

Yearnings could be a sign of nutritional deficiencies

EVELINE GAN
eveline@mediacorp.com.sg

WHILE other expectant mothers crave for things such as decadently rich sweets, well-greased steaks and preserved plums, I found myself crunching on ice — something which I had never craved for — throughout my pregnancy last year.

So obsessed was I with ice that I actually chipped a tooth filling from all that grinding.

Was it merely pregnancy hormones, or was the ice craving a sign that I had a nutritional deficiency? According to nutrition experts, it might have been the latter.

Said Ms Yondi Lee, a holistic nutritionist from Ascension Healing: “The mechanisms of cravings are still not well understood by scientists, but it is possible that cravings could mean that your body is lacking in something.”

Ms Nehal Kamdar, a dietitian at Raffles Hospital, added that because expectant mothers require better nutrition, cravings may be a sign that the body needs more of a certain mineral.

For instance, a vegetarian who suddenly craves meat may signal that the body needs more iron while a craving for fruit could be a sign of Vitamin C deficiency, said Ms Kamdar.

She added that a yearning for pickles has been associated with low levels of sodium.

But how about a bizarre craving for ice? Interestingly, “what your body craves for doesn’t necessarily mean it is good for you”, said Ms Lee.

An eating disorder called pica may also cause you to have “weird cravings” for things that are not ordinarily considered food and have no nutritional benefits, said Ms Kamdar. They include substances such as clay, toothpaste, sand, flour and ice.

While pica may be linked to emotional or developmental problems, it may also indicate nutritional deficiencies, especially in calcium and iron, said Ms Kamdar.

“An abnormal craving for ice could possibly mean you’re low in iron. Children who begin eating chalk or scraping walls and eating the debris may have a calcium deficiency.”

However, Ms Kamdar stressed that there are no hard and fast rules when it comes to linking cravings to specific nutritional deficiencies.

For those who have a fondness for chomping on unusual things, it is best to see a doctor, she advised.

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An abnormal craving for ice could possibly mean you’re low in iron.
Ms Nehal Kamdar, a dietician at Raffles Hospital
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Ms Lee noted that most people tend to crave sugary foods and carbohydrates when they are unhappy or stressed. Before menstruation, women also tend to crave sweet things as hormone levels fluctuate.

“If you’re already nutritionally deficient, then your cravings become even more obvious,” she explained.

“You would look for sugar and carbohydrate-rich foods to keep your mood up. When you reinforce the craving, the body will then yearn for such foods whenever you are stressed or depressed, even though you’re not deficient in carbohydrates or sugar.”

Such cravings, she added, are more likely “an indirect link to get more tryptophan into the body”. Tryptophan is an essential amino acid, which helps the body to produce serotonin, a brain chemical that makes a person feel calm and happy.

Foods that are high in sugar and carbohydrates help make tryptophan more available in the body, explained Ms Lee.

But what many people don’t know is that eating some protein and “a small amount of less refined carbs” such as buckwheat, can actually achieve the same effect, said Ms Lee.

To prevent unhealthy snacking, Ms Lee advised taking more magnesium-rich foods — such as green vegetables and wholegrains — whenever you’re stressed.

“Magnesium is a ‘relaxant’ mineral. When you’re stressed, your body uses up a lot of magnesium. So, eating more of such foods may help to prevent unhealthy cravings,” she said.

BLENDED FAMILIES

From TODAY Voices
Monday August 4, 2008

By Dr James Dobson

Here is some advice today to those who are planning to remarry.

When children are involved, this is called a blended family, and it poses some very unique and unsettling challenges. I can tell you that the Brady Bunch is a myth, although many blended families do eventually adjust to their new circumstances.

Initially, at least, one or more kids in a blended family may see the new step-parent as a usurper. Being intensely loyal to the memory of their departed parent, they will not welcome the step-parent with open arms. This places the step-parent in an impossible bind.

It is also common for one child to move into the power vacuum that is left by the departing parent.

That youngster begins relating to the remaining parent more as a peer. The status that comes with that supportive role is very seductive, and a youngster is usually unwilling to give it up.

These are only two of the landmines that can threaten blended families.

We will learn about some of the others next time, and I will suggest some ways of coping.

Courtesy is from WITHIN...

From TODAY Voices – I Say
Monday August 4, 2008

Prompting people with campaigns and rules can only achieve so much
Subana Hall

MEDIACORP’s Class 95 Presenters have worked very hard at trying to pin down the good and the ugly Singaporean.

In a contest which ended recently, they roped in Singaporeans to record videos of good and bad behaviour. I really hope that their efforts were not in vain.

It has been almost 30 years since the National Courtesy Campaign was launched, in 1979 by then Prime Minister Mr Lee Kuan Yew. I am not entirely sure if much has changed within the society since then.

The campaign was aimed at creating a pleasant social environment, with Singaporeans being considerate to each other and thoughtful of each other’s needs. It was hoped that this would be achieved in about 10 years from that time.

Singapore has had various mascots and media advertisements to promote positive mannerisms. A Singapore Courtesy Council was even set up in 1993 to spearhead the campaign.

However, many years on, have things changed? If they have not, the fundamental question is: Why not?

Would more campaigns help? I am not entirely convinced that more campaigns will make a difference.

There is so much focus on what Singaporeans lack in manners that we may be missing out on those whose manners are exemplary; I have met a few people in recent weeks who have put a smile on my face. However, I very much doubt that their behaviour is purely due to national campaigns.

I think cultured behaviour and civic mindedness is something people observe and accept as part of their life. It is a habit that people choose to develop, and cannot be forced.

Just as the Government cannot be responsible for helping singles find the “love of their life”, or advising people on their family matters, it cannot simply change the way a person really is.

Change has to be come from within the individual. Simply put: An individual must have the desire to change; or else endless campaigns and government efforts may prove futile, even 50 years from now.

There is a difference between standing on the correct side of the escalator and the act of offering a helping hand to a woman struggling with a child stroller to get up the stairs: The former shows Singaporeans’ well-trained ability to abide by the rules; the latter requires an instinctive nature to help others without needing to be prompted by posters and reminders.

Ultimately the change has to come from the person, and it will happen only when the person wants to do so, not for financial incentives or merit.

I sincerely hope that one day Singapore will move into an era where we could do away with campaigns and posters to remind people about how to be human and humane.

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The writer is a Singaporean who has returned to Singapore after living in the United Kingdom for many years.

Early testing helps

From TODAY News - EDUCATION
Monday August 4, 2008

Awareness up, but the ‘vast majority’ not getting treatment: Dyslexia group

Sheralyn Tay
news@newstoday.com.sg

WORDS made no sense to her and she grew up thinking she was slow and stupid. But Ms Wahida Remahl got the help she needed for her dyslexia when she was about eight-years-old, thanks to an alert teacher.

“I got lucky,” admits the 26-year-old, who was diagnosed in 1989, two years before the Dyslexia Association of Singapore (DAS) was founded and when the problem that impairs the ability to learn to read was not well recognised.

Ms Remahl, who now teaches dyslexic children, managed to do much better in school due to early intervention programmes.

But is Singapore still in danger of most dyslexic children not getting help?

According to the Ministry of Education, there are 2,000 students identified with dyslexia in mainstream schools from primary to junior college level; about half, the highest proportion ever, are enrolled in DAS programmes.

DAS believes, however, the “vast majority” of students who need help are not getting treatment. Going by international incidence rates, about 20,000 primary and secondary students, or about 4 per cent of the total enrolment, may have dyslexia that requires specialist intervention.

“It can be hard to pick up dyslexia here due to our bilingual culture, which masks the symptoms,” said Mr Roslan Saad, director of education programmes at DAS, as poor spelling and reading can be mistaken as poor English language skills.

In Singapore, where academic performance is key in deciding one’s future, more awareness must be done to raise the awareness of the problem and tackle it early, said Ms Remahl.

Early intervention is also needed given that there are no assessment tools for ages over 17. Many adults here have likely “missed the boat” — with their dyslexia undetected when they were young — and Mr Roslan estimates that some 147,000 have dyslexia severe enough to impact their lives.

This includes working slowly, having poor memory skills or difficulty planning, organising and managing time and tasks.

However, according to Dr Ng Kit Seng, director and chief psychologist at The Centre for Psychology, most children who exhibit severe dyslexia can be identified and receive help, while those with moderate or mild dyslexia do learn to cope and “outgrow” the problem.

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It can be hard to pick up dyslexia here due to our bilingual culture, which masks the symptoms.
Mr Roslan Saad, Director of Education Programmes at DAS
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The MOE has also been beefing up its capabilities, in addition to a 50-per-cent grant to needy families for early testing and intervention.

Since 2005, all teachers have had to complete a 12-hour module on special education. The MOE aims to have 10 per cent of all teaching staff in primary schools and 20 per cent in secondary schools trained in supporting pupils with special needs by 2012. To date, 1,125 teachers have undergone training while 47 special needs officers had successfully completed the DAS Diploma in Dyslexia as of last year.

Concessions, on a case-by-case basis, are also made for pupils with severe dyslexia, who may be exempted from taking Mother Tongue at national examinations such as the PSLE, or given extra time to do so.

According to Mr Saad, some progress has been made as there have been more parents bringing their children in for assessment. He said: “The number of direct referrals is a clear indicator that awareness is increasing.”

But gaps do remain. “The remaining challenge is to address children from families of lower socio-economic status because they tend to be unaware, ignore or underestimate the problem,” he said.