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Showing posts with label children. Show all posts
Showing posts with label children. Show all posts

Friday 21 January 2022

Malaysian teens are shorter than the rest

 

 

Undernutrition among our adolescents is causing them to be stunted, making them shorter on average than some of our regional neighbours.

` MALAYSIAN teenagers are a short lot – and not because of genetical predisposition.

` One in six local teens are considered stunted at 6-7cm shorter than the World Health Organization’s (WHO’S) standard height reference for adolescents between 10 and 17 years old.

` This is as they are not consuming adequate amounts of the nutrients needed for growth.

` Given that the window for the adolescent growth spurt is very short, yet provides the biggest growth opportunity during our lifetime, this problem of undernutrition needs to be addressed so that our teens can attain their maximum potential height.

` Stunted growth and development caused by undernutrition is common in many regions, especially poorer ones.

` Data from our 2019 National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS) showed that one in five Malaysian children aged five and under are stunted.

` This reflects an increasing trend, with 21.8% in 2019 from 17.7% in 2015 and 16.6% in 2011.

` Meanwhile, data from the 2017 NHMS revealed that the adolescent stunting rate was at 8.5%, or one in 12, in the 10- to 17-years-old age group.

` Increased risk of disease

` “This is a high percentage for an upper middle income country like ours.

` “For developed countries, we want to keep this figure below 5%,” comments Universiti Malaya Faculty of Medicine Department of Paediatrics head Professor Dr Muhammad Yazid Jalaludin.

` The average final adult height of Malaysians is 164.7cm for men and 153.3cm for women.

` “If we plot this on the growth chart, we are in the bottom 10th percentile, which means our average height is at the lowest out of 100 countries for both men and women, i.e. we are 8-9cm shorter than the rest.

` “The fact that we are not achieving as much height as other Asian men and women is worrying.

` “We have fallen behind Singapore, Japan and South Korea, although in the 1940s and 1950s, we were around the same height,” he says.

` The average male height is 170.6cm in Singapore, 171.2cm in Japan and 175.3cm in South Korea. For females, it is 160cm in Singapore, 158.8cm in Japan and 162.6cm in South Korea.

` Interestingly, females in South Korea have recorded one of the biggest height increases among the world’s female population over the last century.

` Prof Yazid adds: “Of course, we also have to look at the parents’ height – teens should be plus or minus 8cm from their dad’s or mum’s height.”

` Studies have shown that countries that consume more dairy products and animal proteins have a taller population, compared to countries that rely on rice and wheat, like most Asian countries.

` Some consequences of stunting include poor cognition, poor educational performance at school, lower income and lower economic opportunity.

` And when stunting is accompanied by excessive weight gain later in childhood, the person will develop an increased risk of nutrition-related chronic diseases in adulthood, including obesity, diabetes and heart diseases.

` “A number of them become obese, as when they start to grow older, they get better nutrition and cannot satisfy their hunger, so they eat a lot,” he says.

` However, stunting recovery intervention may enable undernourished children to catch up on height and other developmental markers.

` The crucial years

` Puberty is the time in life when a boy or girl becomes sexually mature.

` This is also when the growth spurt occurs.

` This short period of rapid growth development in children typically lasts around two to three years.

` Prof Yazid explains: “Boys and girls start at different ages.

` “In girls, puberty is when the breasts develop, which can be as early as eight years old, until menarche, i.e. their first period, which is around two or three years after breast development.”

` He adds that the growth spurt usually occurs at the early stage of puberty, so for girls, it occurs around the time of breast development.

` “Once they get their menses, they don’t grow much until the end of the total pubertal period – the gain is only around 2-5cm.

` “During the first two to three years of puberty, most will gain between 17-22cm in height,” he says.

` For boys, puberty begins later, with testicular enlargement that can begin as early as nine to 10 years of age, although it typically occurs around 12 years of age.

` It then takes another two to three years before puberty ends.

` “Only after puberty will boys have a growth spurt and can achieve a 20-25cm height gain.

` “This is when they start having acne, pubic hair, etc

` `

Start them young

Malaysian teens are shorter than the rest

 “They can grow really fast, but to help them grow, we need to intervene immediately and cannot wait until their voice changes,” Prof Yazid points out.

He also notes that nobody usually knows when a boy starts puberty as no one checks for testicular enlargement under normal circumstances.

Only a visit to a paediatric endocrinologist is likely to see their testes size being examined.

Where growth happens

All children have growth plates – areas of smooth, elastic cartilage found at the end of each long bone in the body.

This is where growth takes place. When the bones finish growing, the growth plates close.

Girls generally stop growing and reach their maximum height around the age of 14, and boys, around 16.

Doctors can estimate when growth will be completed by determining a child’s bone age.

They do this by taking an X-ray of the left hand and wrist to see if the growth plates are still open.

The bone age may be different from the child’s actual age.

Prof Yazid says: “Bone age is not the same as chronological age.

“For those that go into early puberty, their bone age may be more advanced than chronological age.

“Height gain should really begin before puberty.

“If the girls are short at the start of puberty, we like to delay puberty, because if they were to start their menses with the height of 130cm, then we cannot do much.

“That’s why it’s important to start nutrition, adequate caloric intake and caloric expenditure from a young age for bone lengthening and thickening, so that the child can gain enough height.”

The adolescent phase contributes to 15-20% of adult height, 45% of adult bone mass increase, and 40-50% of adult weight gain.

Nutritional needs

During early adolescence, children require up to twice or more key nutrients to support accelerated growth and development, compared to a younger child.

These include:

> Calcium – up to 85% increase > Protein – up to 154% increase > Magnesium – up to 200% increase

> Phosphorus – up to 170% increase)

> Zinc – up to 75% increase, and > Vitamin K – up to 133% increase.

Results from the 2017 NHMS showed that:

> 89.4% of adolescents did not meet the required nutritional intake (RNI) for calcium

> 98.8% did not meet the RNI for vitamin D, and

> Over 60% did not meet the RNI for vitamin E.

In addition, the survey found that seven out of 10 adolescents habitually skipped breakfast, while another one in two skipped lunch and dinner.

“I’ve encountered a number of adolescents (13-18 years) who have growth issues; they are underweight so they don’t gain much height.

“At this age, physical activity is important for boys, and if they don’t eat much, they lack energy.

“Three out of four kids also don’t take adequate dairy products,” laments Prof Yazid.

A lack of sleep also affects height.

This is as growth hormones are secreted the most between 10pm to midnight before dropping, then rising a bit between 2am to 4am.

He says: “Most of our adolescents sleep late and have poor quality of sleep, so they don’t get the spurt of growth hormones.

“Another factor is physical activity, which enables the secretion of endorphin and serotonin hormones to make you feel good about yourself. “When you feel good and sleep better, it increases the growth hormone secretions.

“Our adolescents love to sleep late, don’t do regular physical activity and skip meals, so how can they grow well?

“With Covid-19, all kids are equally affected as they don’t do much physical activity and spend more time on gadgets.”

Adolescents should aim to incorporate 30-60 minutes of moderate physical activity daily.

“Walking lazily doesn’t count.

“It’s best to exercise in the evening so they can sleep better at night,” he says.

Parents as role models

Prof Yazid says about half of adolescents perceive that their parents don’t know what they do in their free time.

“What and how you eat matters. “Parents need to try to understand their adolescents’ perspective and look into the kinds of food, timing of their food intake/sleep and exercise patterns.

“It’s better to show than to say, because bugging them doesn’t help when parents themselves don’t lead by example.

“So, when food is put on the table, show them how you would eat it.

“Similarly, exercise with them and sleep early.

“Parents are really the best supporters to encourage their children to do all these,” he says.

In terms of dairy products – which are important for development and bone strength – a number of parents think their children don’t need milk beyond the ages of five or seven, and thus, stop serving it to them.

This is incorrect.

Prof Yazid says: “From dairy products, they can get good nutrients.

“They need at least 600ml of milk a day – 400ml can come from milk and the other 200ml can be obtained from other sources such as cheese or yoghurt.”

When regular meals alone do not meet the increased nutrient requirements for their child’s growth, parents can seek advice from their child’s physician and consider nutritional supplements to help improve nutritional intake during this important growth period.

“The height at the start of puberty is so important to determine the final height.

“If we can reduce stunting rates before the age of five, we can definitely reduce its prevalence among adolescents,” concludes Prof Yazid.

The Star Malaysia 


When parents make mistakes 

 One common parenting mistake is jumping to conclusions about your child’s guilt without even giving them a chance to explain first. — Positive Parenting
 

It may be hard to put aside your pride and apologise to your kids, but it will make you a better parent and show your children good values.


IF you have ever mistakenly raised your voice towards your child or blamed him for something he did not do, you must know how awful that feels like.

Parents commit mistakes too, but as authority figures and role models in the family, they may find it hard to right their wrongs.

Mistakes are bound to happen, whether due to stress, overwork, lack of sleep, poor judgement or carelessness.

However, this is not an excuse to be ignorant or dismissive of one’s missteps.

What we can do is to learn from our mistakes today so that we can be better parents tomorrow.

It may not be easy to overcome our ego and admit our mistake to the kids.

But by role-modelling such behaviour, we can teach our kids (and ourselves) to be better human beings.

Common parenting mistakes


To learn from your mistakes, you will first need to accept that a mistake has been made.

It may occur unintentionally or due to past ignorance.

Here are some common mistakes:

> Breaking promises

You promised to take your daughter to her favourite restaurant after she did well in her test, but you were too busy and ended up not going.

Parents promise all kinds of things to their kids, but it can be hard to fulfil all of the promises made.

> Telling lies

White lies are common for various reasons – as an excuse, to avoid difficult topics, and often, to calm children.

Parents may also tell a lie to another person in front of their kids.

Even if the lie seems harmless, it teaches the kids that it is okay to lie – and this is not okay.

> Jumping to conclusions

Some parents tend to blame or scold their kids without giving them a chance to explain things first.

By assuming that our kids’ past behaviours and choices dictate present and future ones, it limits how we view our kids and can cause us to judge them unfairly.

> Using bad words

Rising anger tends to blind us. You may not realise the bad words being uttered and there is no way to retract them once they are said.

It is bad enough when said to another person, but worse when said to your own kids.

> Comparing and criticising

Constructive comments are okay, but belittling your child, comparing him with others, and criticising his weak spots, all with the intention of “building up his character” are not.

> Too much teasing

Joking, teasing and kidding with your kids are some of the ways to have a laugh and fun with them.

However, you may be taking things too far if they are not laughing.

Even worse is if you press them for not being able to take the joke. > Forgetting things

Having a busy schedule may lead to occasional slip-ups, causing you to forget simple errands (e.g. to pick up your child from tuition), or even important events and dates (e.g. your child’s birthday or school sports day).

> Being hypocritical

Parents are the main role model for their kids.

When parents do not practise what they preach, they risk confusing the kids with conflicting messages.

> Hurting them physically

Parents may accidentally inflict physical harm onto their children, e.g. injuring your daughter’s finger while closing the car door.

Some parents also tend to take out their anger or frustrations on their kids (including yelling, cursing and hitting).

Righting the wrong


After realising that you have made a mistake, what can you do?

> Don’t be too hard on yourself

No parent is perfect, so do not beat yourself up too long for being a “horrible parent”.

Instead, focus on correcting your mistake and finding a solution. >

Admit mistakes and apologise

Once you and your child have calmed down somewhat, gently talk about what you regret and apologise for your mistake.

Ask for a “do over” and try to make things right.



This can be a great opportunity to demonstrate forgiveness and humility to your child. > Reconnect with your child

Let your child express how he feels.

Be open, present and willing to listen and engage with him.

Try to put yourself in his shoes and see (and feel) from his point of view.

This will build empathy and a deeper understanding to reconnect with one another.

> Aim to be better

Focus on self-improvement as a person and parent.

Learn to regulate your own emotions by practising self-compassion and learning to stay centred whenever there is a crisis in your household.

Loving your child starts with loving yourself.

It is part of human nature to make mistakes.

In our lifetime, we will (or should) exchange apologies and forgiveness countless times, including as a parent.

The important thing is to acknowledge that a mistake has been made and to learn from it, make amends, reconcile and gradually develop to be a better parent and individual.

-
Alexius Cheang is a behavioural psychologist. This article is courtesy of the Malaysian Paediatric Association’s Positive Parenting programme in collaboration with expert partners. For further information, please email starhealth@ thestar.com.my. The information provided is for educational and communication purposes only, and it should not be construed as personal medical advice. Information published in this article is not intended to replace, supplant or augment a consultation with a health professional regarding the reader’s own medical care. The Star does not give any warranty on accuracy, completeness, functionality, usefulness or other assurances as to the content appearing in this column. The Star disclaims all responsibility for any losses, damage to property or personal injury suffered directly or indirectly from reliance on such information. 

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Wednesday 15 September 2021

A great Malaysian tragedy

Funeral of children who died

Questions about Malaysia's treatment of this minority:The runaway children Malaysia failed to ...

 
Young, impoverished mother from Chinese viral photo finally found after 11 years, and how different her life is now | The Star
 

THIS is one article that I didn’t want to write. I put off writing it for two years. Writing 900 words about this subject was more painful than taking three years to write a 100,000-word thesis. I would do three more theses if I could avoid writing these next 900 words.

This article is about a tragedy that concerns us as a people and a nation. The tragedy should have sparked a national debate, but it was ignored despite being repeated four times.

What is this great tragedy, you might ask? Is it the May 13 race riots in 1969? Is it the Bukit Kepong incident in 1950? Is it the first riot in 1964 in Singapore before it left the federation? Is it the fall of a government? Or is it the dismal state of our institutions of education, justice and administration?

To me, all of these things combined fail to measure up to the tragedy I am about to describe.

Two years ago I happened to read a news article about an Indian-Malaysian family whose father killed all of his children. The report related how the mother died of cancer a few days before and the father, who was jobless and also in poor health, had become distraught. He ended up killing his 15-year-old son and three other children by strangling them all. After that horrifying deed, he hanged himself.

I could not sleep well for several days after reading about that, wondering why a father would kill his children. What drove him to do that? The police and other authorities dismissed it as the act of a crazy man. I did not think so.

Two weeks later, there was a report of another destitute Indian-Malaysian family whose parent, also suffering from an illness, killed the children. Again, the authorities dismissed it as “orang gila punya kerja” (a mad person’s act).

Several months later, I read of Chinese-Malaysian parents who poisoned their four little children and then themselves. At the last minute, an ambulance was called, but all the children died; the parents survived.

And just last week, a penniless father, whose race was not stated, smothered his three children after his wife died.

After each of these cases, our nation went on with business as usual. No professors from our 200 universities raised the issue. No religious clerics from any religion made it into a social and political issue. No NGO stood up and demonstrated or wrote press statements about the tragedies.

Was I the only one who cringed at the news of parents killing their children? Was I the only one to ask questions?

Firstly, why did these parents not seek help from other family members? All of us have wider family circles and if we begged several of them to care for one child each, surely they would respond? I have no issue whatsoever if adults decide to take their own lives, but I am aghast and crushed when children are killed just because one cannot figure out how to feed and care for them.

All children in this country – and the world – should be cared for and given a minimum chance to survive until they can make their own way. Is that not a social, political and spiritual right? What happened to the larger family system if parents think that it would burden other family members?

Then I asked the question: why did the parents not seek help from the leaders of their own race or religion? We have political leaders of all races and houses of worship worth millions. What is the purpose of religion and these splendid displays of architectural feats if parents had no faith that they could get help from going to a church, a mosque, a temple or a gurdwara to ask congregants to help their children?

If I were the parent, I would have taken them to the mosque and begged for help and asked to stay at the mosque. I would help sweep the floor of the mosque or scrub its toilets and then ask restaurants for leftovers so I could feed my children and myself. There is no shame in that. But, of course, I would ask for help from my own family and wife’s family first before going that far.

Finally, I asked: what should our government do for such families? Why did the four families not go to a zakat office or the Welfare Department for help? Why did they have no confidence in our institutions, orphanages and other forms of welfare? What are these zakat or welfare officers doing? Why are they not proactively walking the streets and looking under bridges for the homeless or talking to people in low-cost flats to see if there are families facing destitution?

I wish the four families had reached out to the media or someone for help instead of killing their children. What does it say about our nation when parents kill their children instead of trusting our institutions of race, institutions of religion and institutions of governance?

When I was in the United Kingdom, I was given a financial allowance for my four children. When I was in the United States, I was given food stamps when my daughter was born. I also remember watching a report on YouTube about 400,000 unemployed British youngsters given £250 (about RM1,400 at current rates) a month as a benefit back then.

I spent nine years overseas and I never read about parents killing their children because of poverty. What does it say about our country, our people and our faiths when four tragedies like these can happen – and that they raised not one iota of concern? We are, truly and sadly, a nation that is failing its most vulnerable people.


Prof Dr Mohd Tajuddin Mohd RasdiProf Dr Mohd Tajuddin Mohd Rasdi is Professor of Architecture at UCSI University. The views expressed here are entirely the writer’s own.

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Wednesday 9 June 2021

Covid-19 Cases going down; top priority – keep the kids safe

 Malaysia's Cases going down to below R1  

 

PETALING JAYA: Malaysia is seeing a dip in the Covid-19 infectivity rate. Though this is encouraging, health experts caution the public against taking their foot off the pedal.

Universiti Putra Malaysia medical epidemiologist Assoc Prof Dr Malina Osman said the downward trend proved that the preventive measures put in place were effective.

“Our steps to control the outbreak are on track but we have to continue this effort to reduce it further.

“It is a good sign, but if we loosen our grip, the number of infections is set to potentially increase, ” she said.

Dr Malina added that while the country’s R value was showing a decline, the aim would be to push it down to near zero.

The R value, or reproduction number, refers to the infectivity rate of a virus at a particular point in time.

It represents the average number of people an infected person could spread the disease to, so an R value of lower than 1 means that the number of people being infected on average will be fewer over time.

Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said the R value had dropped to below 1 during the first week of the lockdown.

Yesterday, it was recorded at 0.99.

On May 31, before the two-week lockdown was implemented, it was 1.09.

Previously, the R value was also recorded at levels of 1.21 and 1.16, on May 23 and May 29, respectively.

International Islamic University Malaysia epidemiologist Prof Dr Jamalludin Ab Rahman said while the R value did show a positive impact, it was not enough.

Malaysia was not out of the woods yet, he said.

“R alone is not enough. For example, we should look at fatality rates, or the number of new clusters.

“Should we be happy with an R value that is lower than 1?

“Yes. But is the effort enough? Not yet, ” Dr Jamalludin pointed out.

“The R value has to be persistently low. Until when? There is no precise answer.”

He said that while the MCO and lockdown had reduced mobility among the general population considerably, Malaysia was still seeing transmissions in factories.

“The government really needs to settle this source of infections.

“The movement control order can solve sporadic cases in the community but if factories are still operating and close contact in crowded spaces is not being controlled, we will continue to have cases from factories, ” he added.

Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia epidemiologist Assoc Prof Dr Azmi Mohd Tamil agreed.

He said that unless a relational database – where all secondary cases were mapped out to each primary case – it would not be possible to get the accurate average number of secondary persons infected from a single primary case.

“What we have is only an estimate based on a mathematical model.

“As long as we have cases in the community, the outbreak will continue – until the majority of the population is immune to the disease.”

At present, Dr Azmi said, “all possible cases of Covid-19 need to be screened, identified and isolated from the susceptible population”.

He reckoned that the lockdown should not be lifted on June 14.

“The number of cases does not support that – even though the R value is currently below 1, ” he added

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Top priority – keep the kids safe



PETALING JAYA: Spending almost two weeks in hospital after testing positive for Covid-19 last year is something housewife Sharifah Farah Ayuni Syed Rosli does not want to go through again – ever.Now, she and her husband have only one important thing in mind – to look after and protect their three children from being infected.

“That harrowing experience was enough to jolt us. We hope neither we nor our kids get infected by the disease,” said the 30-year-old from Kota Baru.

Recalling her stay, Sharifah said she spent about 13 days in hospital with her businessman husband Mohd Azlee Che Mohd Zaid and their son, Mir Ali Zafar, who was three months old at the time.

While she was well cared for by medical workers there, the housewife said she was mentally exhausted thinking about her two other children, who tested negative and placed in their grandmother’s care.

“Nowadays, I get a little anxious if I feel unwell, worrying if I contracted Covid-19 again.

“Thankfully, we are all healthy. We understand that we must stay at home to guard against getting infected,” she said.

Recently, Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said there was a rise in infections among younger children, some of whom had to be treated at intensive care units.

Sharifah said she and her husband tried to set good examples for their three children, now aged six, four and one-and-a-half, and remind them to wash their hands and wear their face masks properly.

She said her children understood that they could not go for outings because of the pandemic.

“We are grateful that they are obedient and follow our advice.

“There are times when they get upset and sulk, as children sometimes do, but they listen,” Sharifah said.

Kiranjit Muniandy wonders if she is doing enough to protect her 19-month-old daughter from getting infected.

“The number of kids getting infected of late is alarming. It’s tougher now because she is at that age where she just wants to touch everything,” she said.

Kiranjit, 39, was also worried about the high number of new cases daily.

“My husband and I have decided not to go out and stay at home.

“We have also stopped receiving visitors. We take care of our daughter while we work from home.

“Thankfully, we work on shifts. My husband works in the day while I work at night so we take turns,” said the banking executive.

Kiranjit said she would take every precaution to protect her family from being infected and hoped that the pandemic would end soon as she misses her family in Sabah.

“My daughter has not met her grandparents for over a year,” she said.

Faster herd immunity if kids are jabbed too - PressReader

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Monday 15 February 2021

Choosing a good executor for your will

“It is a certainty but the Asian culture fails to talk about death adequately. Many times, the parents don’t really talk about this to their children. Such as, when a parent passes away, who will be in charge of the family’s business, ” Rockwills Advisory Services Sdn Bhd’s general manager and associate estate planning practitioner ason Tham told StarBiz.

 

DEATH is an issue nobody likes to talk about, but it is a certainty in this life.

This is likely due to the Asian culture where death is a rarely or openly discussed subject among families which could lead to complications later on for the loved ones.

“It is a certainty but the Asian culture fails to talk about death adequately. Many times, the parents don’t really talk about this to their children. Such as, when a parent passes away, who will be in charge of the family’s business, ” Rockwills Advisory Services Sdn Bhd’s general manager and associate estate planning practitioner Jason Tham told StarBiz.

“Many times, the children are also helping out in the family business and as the founder and business owner it is difficult for the parents to say that they are their children’s boss and parent at the same time. While in some other instances, siblings may be unhappy if parents outrightly choose one over the other to take over the family business.

"A lot of people have an inkling that this is an important topic to talk about but they don’t know where to start, ” Tham added.

He noted that recent business trends for Rockwills have indicated that awareness among Malaysians on the importance of writing a will have been on the rise as business volume in this area have grown.

Writing one’s will in advance will also help ease the transition for a person’s loved ones in terms of matters pertaining to inheritance.

Other than the importance of being more open in discussing death, Tham said it is important for a person to choose a good executor for the will.

“The executor will be acting on a person’s (demised) will. So appointing a capable executor is a very important task and a common mistake made by many is to overlook this part of choosing a capable executor. Some of the characteristics to look out for in a capable executor is that the person must be reliable and trustworthy, ” Tham said.

“Some good examples of a good executor can be a person’s spouse. Since this is a person whom you can trust and this person would know and can execute your wishes in regards to inheritance.

“We must also know that this person chosen will continue to be in existence, ” he added.

Tham explained that continuing to be in existence generally means that as a general guideline, one should try not to appoint their parents as their will executors.

“Most likely a person’s parents would be much older and the chances of them continuing to be in existence would be lower.

“If there are no untoward or unexpected incidences, most likely your parents will pass away before you. An executor will execute a person’s will when a person is gone, ” he said.

Tham said usually, a family member will be selected as executors and they are usually candidates that would naturally be a priority.

“In some cases, a person might require a neutral body to execute a person’s will and this is when a professional estate planning firm may come in handy, ” he said.

“One example when this may be applicable is when a father would like to give his inheritance to his children but they are not on good terms with each other.

“So it is very difficult for the client to appoint one of them to be executors since they would likely be biased and it can create more fights among them. So this is when a licensed trustee is useful to carry out the demised’s will wishes, ” Tham said.

A licensed trustee can also help carry out a person’s wishes in the event that both parents are not around with minors or offsprings who are not yet considered adults, he said.

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Saturday 30 January 2021

Block out background Zoom noise

Bothered by the background noise of Zoom calls? Here’s how to block it out



https://youtu.be/w7du4bng31I 




Teachers on Zoom calls with students ages five to eight who are at home or in daycare might find this a familiar bugbear: the sounds of other children, siblings, parents and barking dogs. 

The students have noise-canceling headphones that block the noise for them, but not so much the teachers.

In addition, some students use iPads that have a plug for their headphones but no plug for a noise-cancelling external microphone (headphones that include microphones are expensive).

If this is what you’re facing, block the background racket by using noise-cancelling software instead of noise-canceling microphones.

There are two types of this software: The Zoom video call app, which has controls for cancelling out background noise at the student’s end of the conversation, and third-party programs for your computer that cancel out student background noise before the sound plays through your computer’s speaker.

In order to use the Zoom noise-cancelling feature, your students must connect to the call via the Zoom app on their iPads (as opposed to connecting without the app through the Zoom website).

In addition, an adult must examine the app’s settings to make sure they aren’t set to “original sound”, which means background noise is not filtered out. Toggling off “original sound” automatically turns on background noise cancellation. (For directions, clic here.)

Unfortunately, the noise-cancellation feature in the iPad Zoom app has its limits. Unlike the computer app, the iPad app doesn’t let you adjust to block specific types of sounds. It also doesn’t allow noise cancellation to be increased or decreased.

A better solution may be to download a third-party noise-cancellation program to the PC or Mac that you use for Zoom sessions. The app most suited to your needs is probably Krisp, which can filter out student background noise before you hear it. Krisp is free to use for up to 120 minutes a week; unlimited use costs US$5 (RM20) a month. (See details here and downloads here). – Star Tribune (Minneapolis)/Tribune News Service

Source link

Background noise suppression – Zoom Help Center

 

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Saturday 5 December 2020

Sheer joy of parenting

 What the writer and his wife love about being parents is that their children have enhanced their lives in so many ways

To the writer and his wife, parenthood is their greatest achievement although they have experienced difficult trials along the way.

FINANCIAL reasons is the normal excuse given by some who are not willing to have children. This is shocking.

Sure, having kids will affect our budget but that should not be the reason for not having children, or at least one child. To those who do not want to have children, I have reasons to change your mind.

When my wife, who was then earning as much as I did, decided to forego her job as a bank officer and concentrate on being a mother, it was our decision to prioritise our children’s upbringing rather than focus on our financial standing. We knew then that we really had to tighten our belts, but with careful planning, we survived.

Nothing else can produce the joy that parenthood offers. I can’t imagine going through life without feeling that spectrum of emotions. Feeling it all, good and bad, gives our lives as a married couple more purpose and challenges.

There is the pure joy of just watching our children be kids and reliving all those first moments when they discover how to do things on their own. Their smiles, giggles and pride in new accomplishments, even though some may be mischief in nature, were a sheer pleasure to watch.

As the sole income earner in the family, I could have had the worst day at work, but to come home and listen to our children, discuss their day with my wife, or to overhear them giggle while playing or watching television makes the worst day disappear.

I was 33 when I had my first kid. Though my first child wasn’t born normal, having children was such a life-altering experience. My wife and I were always looking for a purpose in our lives and when we had our children, we found it.

We love being parents. Seeing them do well in their studies and behaviour-wise, we know we are doing right thus far. That doesn’t mean we don’t have our share of mistakes but we are better persons for knowing our children and are very honoured to be their parents.

My wife and I love being parents because of the hugs, giggles and grins. When our kids are happy, so are we. As they grew, they amazed us every day with their new words, behaviour and discoveries. They have taught us to be more patient, more loving and much more appreciative of every moment we have together as a family.

Parenthood is a joy. Even while experiencing the hardest trials of our lives, we have learned to rise to all occasions. We’ve found ourselves lifted to new heights while stretching ourselves beyond our limits once we put it upon ourselves to guide them. With rarely a dull moment, we’ve experienced more adventures from parenting our children than we ever imagined.

Parenthood is our life, our passion and our greatest achievement. We also love watching our kids evolve into empathetic, kind human beings who can think for themselves, like spending their money thriftily and being involved in various school activities. You don’t realise the progress until far down the road but the wait is so worthwhile.

We don’t deny that parenthood is a hectic life filled with schedules, diaper changes, feedings, spendings and much more. There are so many things we love about being parents, but the one that stops us dead in our tracks is when each of our children turn to us and say, “Ayah Mi” (referring to me) and “Mak” (referring to my wife).

We love the fact that when our children were growing up to be adults, we were beside them every step of the way, teaching, helping, moulding and loving them.

Life may be great for those who do not want to have children but life will be even better once they have been blessed to become parents.

What we love about being parents is that our children have enhanced our lives in so many ways. We are a better husband, a better wife, better employees, neighbours, relatives and friends. We would rather have our worst days with our kids than to have our best days without them.

By DR ARZMI YAACOB

Monday 7 September 2020

The dark reality: education, teachers, children, helicopter parents, Covid-19, unjust lawsuits,society, media, 如所解释的,不要抱怨杀死你的老公 ...

2+2=22

The videos below show a teacher telling a student that he failed because he wrote the incorrect answer – that 2 + 2 equals 4, not 22. In his frustration, he throws a tantrum in the classroom. When the parents are called in to discuss the situation, they also throw a tantrum, claiming there is more than one answer to any question.....










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