Mi Choza De Nipa

Minneapolis protest against Arizona immigrant law SB 1070 (Photo credit: Fibonacci Blue ) Note: This is just my view, but I believe I am right even just to voice out my opinion. No harm intended at all... ----- 17-Jan-2013 It is almost always notable that anybody can be a migrant, and that is the reason why I title my post as such – one day you are a local, and when you travel out of your country, your native land , you become a foreigner . And with this premise, I hereby present my (hopefully) honest and valid assessment of a nation’s state, where I currently reside, starting from 1999 – and hope that my length of stay gives credence to my truthful revelation, as if what I’m going to say isn’t known at all, because while it is, saying anything or doing anything that doesn’t please those in command will get you into trouble. I should say that that is just the norm anywhere you are, so I hope I will say this in plain text and without any ill will or hidden motives. I my...

Animal,Porkey Pig, Lobund-Wistar (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) I would not allow my kids to be lab rats, but that is my decision as a father. What would yours be? ----- Advances in study, powerful tools have led to questions about impact on humans, society By Neo Chai Chin Jan 10, 2013 SINGAPORE - Should children be included in research on "smart drugs", or drugs that could improve their cognitive abilities? Should people lacking mental capacity be allowed to take part in genomic research? Does neuroscience research require more ethical safeguards than other types of biomedical research ? These are questions that the public is invited to mull over and provide feedback on, with the launch of a public consultation on Ethical , Legal and Social Issues in Neuroscience Research yesterday by the Bioethics Advisory Committee. Rapid advances in the study of the brain and the rest of the nervous system, as well as development of more powerful tools to explore and...

Are we causing or contributing to others' mental illness ? ----- By Eveline Gan, TODAY | Posted: 04 January 2011 SINGAPORE - At 30, acclaimed American poet Sylvia Plath , who suffered from depression, killed herself by placing her head in the oven, with the gas turned on. Her sensational suicide is well-known in the literary circle. However, most may not know that Plath's mental illness started even before she reached adulthood. She had, in fact, attempted suicide earlier in her teens. Plath's early, long-drawn struggle with depression is not unusual. Mental disorders is one of the pressing global health issues among youths today. According to Clinical Associate Professor Chong Siow Ann, senior consultant psychiatrist and vice-chairman of research at the Institute of Mental Health (IMH), most mental disorders such as depression and psychosis have their beginnings during adolescence. "However, the tragedy is that such mental disorders are often...

Are we talking about anger management here? ----- SINGAPORE - Eight people, all who have trouble controlling their temper, are attending an anger management class. A counsellor is conducting the session. In a typical setting, this would not seem out of place. At the Institute of Mental Health 's (IMH) Child Guidance Clinic (CGC), however, such sessions are attended by children aged seven to 12 years old. In spite of their young age, all of them have anger issues that are serious enough to warrant special attention. There are no exact figures on children and teenagers in Singapore with anger issues. Dr Ong Say How, Consultant and Deputy Chief at IMH's Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry , explained that this is because "anger" is not considered a clinical diagnosis. At the CGC, children and teens with such problems are usually referred to anger management groups, which run for about eight sessions. Each year, about 16 youth attend these sessions...

Is Singapore becoming "more open"? Or simply following the downward path of the surrounding influences? ----- SINGAPORE: New survey data released in conjunction with World Contraception Day shows that unprotected sex is on the increase among young people in Singapore. Sixty-one per cent of 200 sexually active young people between the ages of 16 and 19 surveyed in Singapore have had sex without contraception with a new partner, a 12 per cent increase from the previous survey done in 2009. The multi-country survey, which is supported by a coalition of 10 international organisations with an interest in sexual health, said there is a significant disconnect between young people's attitudes to accepting responsibility for contraception and what they are doing in their day-to-day lives. It added that the results also highlight that confusion around contraceptive options is still widespread, with highly unreliable contraceptive methods , such as the "withdr...