Showing posts with label family. Show all posts

Wednesday 11 September 2024

Big demand for childcare

Sim Daycare, Jalan Sungai Dua, 11700 Penang

SIM Sungai Dua

Contact Person: Ms. Lim. Phone Number: 04-659 2998 / 017-216 2998. Address: 746, Jalan Sungai Dua, 11700 Gelugor, Penang.

Exercising caution: Enrolling children in registered childcare centres reduces the risk of negligence or abuse. — CHAN BOON KAI/The Star

BUKIT MERTAJAM: Kindergartens and nursery centres have continued to thrive in Penang – despite the hassle of getting the necessary licence to operate.

An operator of a kindergarten near Alma here, who wanted to be known only as Joo, went through the whole rigmarole to set up an adjacent childcare centre, which is expected to be up and running in a couple of months, almost a year after the process began.

After spending RM200,000 to convert a house into the intended childcare centre, there was red tape to contend with, she said.

“The whole process included engaging an architect to draw up the plan as well as submissions for various permits from the Seberang Perai City Council (MBSP), Fire and Rescue Department, Education Department and Social Welfare Department, which all have their own sets of rules.“The application to MBSP itself took about 100 days to complete,” she added.

Then, all her staff were required to undergo a mandatory three-month Permata Childcare Course. It cost her about RM1,000 for each staff member.

“In total, I spent between RM400,000 and RM500,000 to set up this centre. It would have cost me less if not for the delay in getting the licence,” she said in an interview yesterday.

Joo’s kindergarten has been running for the past 15 years, providing preschool education to some 60 children.

“Operating the childcare centre legally is for the long term and I don’t want to worry about it being shut down by the authorities.

“Parents, too, will be more confident about entrusting us with their children,” she said.

Joo said everything at the centre would be above board and adhere to regulations.

Another operator, who preferred not to be named, said it took her almost 10 years to get a licence to operate a kindergarten here.“When I took over the kindergarten from the previous owner in 2006, I did not know it did not have a permit to operate.

“I then halted operations and filed an application to the relevant authorities. I only managed to get the permit in 2016,” she said.Under the Penang Care Centre Registration Guidelines enforced since 2021, the council allows for a maximum of seven kindergartens, nurseries or childcare centres within a 400m radius on the island while nine of them (three each) are allowed within a 250m radius on the mainland.

It was reported that 63 nurseries, 34 childcare centres (taska) and 100 kindergartens were still operating illegally in Penang.State social development, welfare and non-Islamic religious affairs committee chairman Lim Siew Khim said although Penang had made various efforts to legalise them since 2017, including fee waivers and discount rates to encourage operators to submit their applications, many persisted in operating without a licence.

She said the Social Welfare Department had since issued a notice to limit enrolment of children until the centre could get mandatory certifications from the relevant agencies.

However, out of concern for the wellbeing of the children and their parents, the state still hoped that these unlicensed operators would be spared from being fined or closed down, Lim added.

Last Sunday, the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry advised parents and guardians to ensure their children were enrolled in taska registered with the Social Welfare Department to prevent incidents of negligence, abandonment or abuse.It said these childcare centres were regularly monitored and inspected by the department.

It also said the registration of childcare centres includes a requirement that each caregiver holds a Certificate in Permata Care Course, as well as proactive measures to protect children from potential harm in these facilities.

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Childcare services: daycare and private nursery businesses

More centres needed
The Government aims to have a workforce comprising at least 59% of women by 2020. To do that, we must have more registered childcare centres to cater to these women’s children, Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Rohani Abdul Karim said. On Aug 14, Sunday Star reported that Malaysia is far from its target of having 13,200 registered childcare centres by 2020. Currently, there are not enough centres to cater to 3.2 million children under the age of four whose parents are in need of these services.

Wednesday 10 May 2023

Anwar: The Untold Story' biopic premiere

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and his wife, Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail appeared touched after watching the premier of 'Anwar: The Untold Story' - Bernama pic

PM pays loving tribute to wife

Anwar was sentenced to jail in 1999 after being charged with abuse of power. Four years after his release, he was accused of sodomising an aide in 2008.

He was imprisoned for sodomy in 2015 and released on May 16, 2018, upon receiving a royal pardon.

The film documents Anwar’s journey to battle corruption. It charts the period from when he was first appointed as Finance Minister in 1991 until his sacking from the Cabinet in 1998 and the “Reformasi” campaign, which led to his imprisonment later that year.

“It is difficult for me to comment much as I have tried very hard to forget certain episodes which were too hurtful for me to bear,” he told reporters.

He also said that although the film’s overall dialogue was not wholly accurate, the issues it raised were based on true events.

Despite going through so much, he made it clear during the media conference that he would not let the hardship stop him from campaigning for what’s right.

“The battle against corruption continues. As Prime Minister, I want to save this country, fight against corruption and fight it hard,” he said.

KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and his wife, Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail appeared touched after watching the premiere of 'Anwar: The Untold Story' last night.

He said although some of the dialog and storyline may not be truly accurate, he acknowledged that it was not easy to put together years of incidents into the 90-minute long biopic.

"We were touched, it was surreal, the performances were great and extraordinary.

"The children asked how can I agree to the making of the movie which I have not watched.

"Agree or not is not important, this is not a movie by Anwar for Anwar.

"Also, whether this movie will have a political impact or not is secondary, because this is a story that needs to be told," he said, after the show at Dadi Cinema, Pavilion here.

The film was directed by Viva Westi of Indonesia, with Farid Kamil as Anwar, Tanda Putera actor Hasnul Rahmat as former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Indonesian actress Acha Septriasa as Wan Azizah.

The film attempted to chart the period from Anwar's appointment as finance minister in 1991 until his firing from the cabinet in 1998, as well as his Reformasi campaign which culminated in his jailing that year.

Anwar said while watching the movie, he identified some scenes that might not bode well with his siblings.

However, he said he has no plan to intervene and ask for it to be edited out and would leave the matter to the censorship board to decide.

"If they (siblings) are offended, then I will just have to make it up to them." he added.

Anwar said initially, he was hoping to listen to 'Menjaga Cintamu', the movie's theme song by pop queen Datuk Seri Siti Nurhaliza Taruddin but it was not included during the premier.

He hoped that the song, composed by Andi Rianto and written by Sekar Ayu Asmara, will be included in the final version of the movie which will be screened to public from May 18.

Also present during the premiere were director Viva Westi, executive producer Zulkiflee SM Anwar Ulhaque or better known as Zunar, and DMY chairman Datuk Mohamed Yusoff, the movie distributor.

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Friday 31 March 2023

Chinese people are the happiest in the world, Ipsos survey shows

global happiness 2023

A photo taken on November 6, 2022 shows a wall displaying photos of smiling people at an exhibition themed "Forging Ahead in the New Era," which showcases China's achievements and development over the last decade, at the Beijing Exhibition Center. Photo: VCG

Chinese Path to happiness

"Are you happy?" This simple question is not only a daily greeting in Putonghua but also a yardstick on which global authorities attach importance when formulating policies to better serve their people. Recent international surveys showed that the happiness of people in the Chinese mainland has largely increased in recent years, with one of the survey reports suggesting that Chinese people are among the happiest in the world.

The Global Happiness 2023 Report, released by multinational market research and consulting firm Ipsos ahead of the International Day of Happiness on March 20, showed that Chinese people are the happiest among the 32 countries and regions sampled, with 91 percent of Chinese respondents saying they are generally happy, 12 percent increase from a decade ago.

The 2023 World Happiness Report, an annual publication by the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network in which Nordic countries typically rank higher than China, ranked the Chinese mainland 64th out of 137 countries and regions this year, 30 places higher compared with 2020.

The surveys, with different questionnaires and ranking methods, all imply that people in the Chinese mainland are generally happier, and even rank as the happiest in certain aspects, observers found.

Why are Chinese people happier than before? The Global Times reached Ipsos, as well as China-based and international sociologists and culture scholars, along with ordinary citizens, to find out the possible reasons behind the overall increase in happiness among Chinese people.

Graphic: GT

Family, friends matter most

"Thanks to family and friends, Chinese people are the happiest people in the world," declared a South China Morning Post article on March 21 according to conclusions made by the Ipsos survey report, saying that "relationships are a main source of happiness in China."

The importance of family and social ties to the happiness of Chinese people is clearly indicated in the Ipsos survey, which showed that Chinese respondents are more satisfied with "children," "relationship with a partner or spouse" and "friends" compared to other aspects. While some Western respondents are more satisfied with elements related to their personal circumstances and feelings, such as "access to or being in touch with nature" and "level of education."

Traditional Chinese societal values are manifested in the results, as Chinese people have a strong drive toward family harmony, as the old Chinese saying goes, "harmony at home brings prosperity," said Zhang Yiwu, a literature professor at Peking University.

Chinese people are more inclined to feel happiness in kinship and social relationships, Zhang said. "Even if one is not wealthy, he or she can gain a lot of happiness from having a happy and warm family, as well as many friends as a source of support," he told the Global Times.

Psychologist Zhang Jiehai agreed. "Chinese society is a society of interpersonal relationships, and good interpersonal relationships have a great impact on the happiness of Chinese people," said Zhang Jiehai.

Ipsos surveyed 32 countries and regions that represent over 80 percent of the world's GDP, said Nicolas Boyon, Senior Vice President of Ipsos Public Affairs in the US, in an email response to the Global Times.

Boyon said that the list of life aspects mentioned in the survey questionnaire was carefully designed, so each of them is relevant to all people in every country and region, and can be understood similarly. "Our main goal is consistency both across cultures and over time," he wrote.

Satisfied with China's economic, social, political situation

The economic, social, and political situations in a country or region also largely affect the happiness of the people there.

Compared to most non-Chinese respondents who expressed low satisfaction with their "country's economic situation" and "country's social and political situation," which led to overall average satisfaction rates in both aspects at a mere 40 percent, Chinese respondents expressed greater satisfaction in China's economic, social, and political situations.

Some 78 percent and 83 percent of Chinese respondents said they are satisfied with the "country's economic situation" and "country's social and political situation" respectively, ranking third and first among all countries and regions, the survey showed.

Zhang Jiehai said that Chinese society is stable, and its senses of fairness and justice keep increasing.

He mentioned the enhancement of the quality of life for Chinese citizens as a result of the increased happiness in the stable Chinese society.

"Foreign studies have shown the close relationship between 'not pocketing the money one has picked up' and citizens' happiness," he said. "In an experiment carried out on streets of different countries, Denmark had the highest percentage of people who return money found, and they are usually ranked as one of the happiest citizenries in the UN's happiness indices."

Similarly, China has probably the lowest percentage of express deliveries being stolen, which is also highly related to the strong sense of happiness of the people there, Zhang Jiehai exampled. "Unsupervised express packages and food deliveries placed at entryways and hospital inpatient departments are a common sight in China," he added. "Incidents of deliveries being stolen are rare as the quality of life of Chinese citizens has improved."

Recalling his days at Peking University in 2022 as a Korean scholar, Kwon Ki-sik, head of the Korea-China City Friendship Association, believes that four main factors contribute to the high level of happiness of Chinese people.

First, Chinese people highly trust the country's political system. Kwon said that Chinese people's unwavering support for the Communist Party of China (CPC) and its leaders are a source of stability in China, in sharp contrast to certain Western countries where political instability has led to general discontent.

The second is safety. Big Chinese cities including Beijing and Shanghai are among the few in the world in which one can walk freely at night thanks to good public security, whereas some security problems seen in several big US cities keep many people from venturing outside after dark, said Kwon.

Third, Chinese people are incredibly proud of the country's development and prosperity, as China has achieved remarkable economic growth over the decades of reform and opening-up. Kwon believes this sense of pride is greatly linked to the happiness of Chinese people.

Fourth, Chinese people are satisfied with the government's efforts in building a moderately prosperous society and in achieving common prosperity. "The mutual trust between the CPC and its people is the root of happiness for Chinese people," Kwon noted.

The three recent Ipsos happiness surveys conducted in August 2020, December 2021, and January 2023, revealed that 93 percent, 83 percent, and 91 percent of Chinese respondents were happy, respectively, ranking first, third, and first among all polled countries and regions.

The pandemic was a source of worry for the world. Nonetheless, compared to some Western countries' approach of "lying flat," which caused a lot of deaths, "China's COVID prevention measures protected the lives of the overwhelming majority of people," Zhang Yiwu told the Global Times. "On the whole, we got through the pandemic smoothly."

Common expectations

In the 2023 World Happiness Report released by the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, Finland was ranked as the happiest country in the world. The Chinese mainland was ranked at the 64th, higher than 2022 when it was ranked 72nd, and in 2021 at 84th.

Referring to the different ranking results between the report and the Ipsos survey, Boyon said that the two differ in several ways and are also complimentary. The UN Happiness Index, as reported in the World Happiness Report 2023, is based on data from a survey in which respondents were asked to rate how they feel about their life ranging in responses from "the best possible life" to "the worst possible life." It is described as a "subjective well-being score," Boyon said.

"Ipsos' survey asks a different question: 'All things considered, would you say that you are very happy, rather happy, not very happy, or not happy at all?' The self-reported level of 'happiness' from our survey can be seen as a reflection of people's mood," he added.

Also, Boyon said that Ipsos' survey is collected during the same two-week period in every country, which makes its data more current, and more sensitive to seasonality and current events.

Moreover, as the Ipsos survey is conducted online, its samples can be considered representative of their general adult population under the age of 75, Boyon explained. "But in most 'middle-income countries' or 'emerging markets,' including China, online samples tend to be more urban, more educated, more affluent than the general population," he told the Global Times.

The World Happiness Report team said on its website that it uses observed data on six variables including GDP per capita, social support, healthy life expectancy, freedom, generosity, and corruption.

These variables are more susceptible to income inequality, said Zhang Jiehai. "Countries and regions with more developed economies, smaller income gaps, and a relatively high sense of fairness usually score higher," he explained. "That's why Nordic countries have been at the top of the UN's happiness rankings for long."

Happiness surveys with distinct indicators have different results, but generally, people from all over the world share some common expectations, like narrowing the income gap, improving fairness and justice, and elimination of corruption, Zhang jiehai noted.

To further enhance Chinese people's sense of happiness, experts suggest authorities work harder in improving social welfare systems, especially in those in the fields of healthcare and rural elderly care services.

"China has made rapid progress in social welfare improvement. Nonetheless, as a developing country with a large population, it's difficult to compare China's per capita social welfare standard with that of Nordic countries," said Zhang Yiwu. "It varies from country to country in terms of their strengths and challenges."

UK's falling ranking

"China is the happiest place on earth as the UK falls in rankings," said an article published on the Northamptonshire Telegraph website on March 24. The Ipsos survey found that 70 percent of British people considered themselves happy, a 13 percent drop from 2022.

Fleur, a retired teacher living in London, told the Global Times reporter that she does feel less happy than about a decade ago mainly because of the economic pressure she experiences. Fleur said her pension is falling in value under high inflation in the UK, and she and people around her feel uneasy about several persisting problems in British society, including the widening wealth gap, the rising crime rate, and the falling employment rates.

In the US, just 12 percent of respondents described themselves as "very happy," "the lowest share on record since NORC began asking the question…in 1972," according to a US domestic survey released by The Wall Street Journal and the social research organization NORC at the University of Chicago on March 24. Some 30 percent said they are "not too happy."

Financial circumstances are main happiness contributors for some Westerners, analyzed Zhang Jiehai. In a few European countries, for instance, people are faced with slow income growth and fast-rising living costs. "Their living standards are seeing a downward trend when compared with their predecessors. A blue-collar couple can hardly maintain their standard of living after retiring if their children are also blue collars," Zhang Jiehai said.

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GDP by countries 1820-2022

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Friday 14 October 2022

Go forth and multiply OH FATHER !

From left) Cannon, Baldwin and Musk- PhotosAFP, Reuters and TNS

Nick Cannon, Elon Musk, Alec Baldwin and other celebrities who have fathered many children.

AMERICAN billionaire entrepreneur and Tesla chief executive Elon Musk, 51, made jaws drop several months ago when it was revealed that he secretly welcomed twins in November 2021, taking his kid count to nine.

The mother is Shivon Zilis, a 36-year-old Canadian project director at his Neuralink company.

The twins’ arrival came just weeks before Musk and his former partner, Canadian singer Grimes, welcomed a baby girl, Exa, via a surrogate in December 2021.

They also share a two-year-old son, X.

Musk already has five children with his first wife Justine Wilson, including Griffin, 18, and 16-yearold triplets Kai, Damian and Sax.

Another of their children, 18, legally changed her name to disassociate herself from Musk earlier this year.

In 2002, their first child, a boy, died at 10 weeks of sudden infant death syndrome.

Musk has strong opinions on increasing the birth rate.

At Wall Street Journal’s annual CEO Council in December last year, he stated that there are “not enough people” in the world.

In what seemed to be a response to his latest baby news, he tweeted: “Doing my best to help the underpopulation crisis. A collapsing birth rate is the biggest danger civilisation faces by far.”

He added in a follow-up tweet: “I hope you have big families and congrats to those who already do.”

Musk is ranked by Forbes as the world’s richest person with an estimated net worth of US$237.1bil (RM1.1tril).

He recently announced plans to “significantly” increase childcare benefits at his companies.

He tweeted: “Kids are worth it if at all possible.” Here are several celebrities sowing their seeds with wild abandon.

OH FATHER!

Here are several celebrities sowing their seeds with wild abandon.

Nick Cannon, 41 Kid count: 10

Also sharing Musk’s fatherhood goals is American actor Nick Cannon, who chimed in after Musk’s tweet, saying: “Right there with you, my brother.”

Cannon has had kids with six different women, only one of whom he married but eventually divorced.

And none of them was an accident, he has claimed.

Cannon shares twins Moroccan and Monroe with ex-wife Mariah Carey, twins Zion and Zillion with DJ Abby De La Rosa.

In July, he and model Bre Tiesi welcomed their first child, Legendary Love, together.

On Sept 14, he and model Lanisha Cole welcomed daughter Onyx Ice Cole.

Cannon shares son Golden and daughter Powerful Queen with model Brittany Bell. On Oct 30, they welcomed their third – Cannon’s 10th – child, Rise Messiah.

He also fathered a son, Zen, with model Alyssa Scott, but the child died in December 2021 at five months old after being diagnosed with brain cancer.

After the tragic loss, Cannon, who has said that he does not feel monogamy is healthy, announced he would be celibate for a while and reportedly went for a vasectomy consultation.

Obviously, that was short-lived. You really cannot keep a man like Cannon down. At least, not until he turns 45, the age when he feels he “should chill”.

On the Big Tigger Morning Show, he got candid about what it is like to co-parent with multiple women.

Asked if “all the baby mamas get along”, he replied: “They don’t have to, they all get along with me.”

When the radio host brought up that Cannon takes maternity photos with each of the mothers, Cannon said he believes “everyone deserves that”.

“I don’t keep secrets. They know how I move. I multitask,” he added.

As for whether he sees any additional kids in his future, he quipped: “Isn’t there always? I just want to be responsible as a father... The best I can possibly be, and lean into it.

“I love children, but I wasn’t setting out to be Father Abraham, I just embrace it.”

On Instagram, Cannon jokingly hyped up his profile piece in a recent issue of Men’s Health magazine by posting: “We discuss that there is nothing more healthy than a virile man. Go forth and multiply.”

In the article itself, he opened up about how he stays present in each of his kids’ lives and takes immense pride in it.

He said: “Contrary to popular belief, I’m probably engaged throughout my children’s day, more often than the average adult can be. If I’m not physically in the same city with my kids, I’m talking to them before they go to school via FaceTime.

“When I am (in the same city, I’m) driving my kids to school, making sure I pick them up.”

He added that he is present for their extracurricular activities. “I’m involved in everything - from coaching to having guitar lessons with my daughter every week.”

Alec Baldwin, 64 Kid count: Seven

The Baldwin bunch sure is getting bigger, with American actor Alec Baldwin and his yoga instructor wife Hilaria, 38, welcoming their seventh child, a girl, on Sept 24.

Ilaria Catalina Irena joins her siblings Carmen, nine, Rafael, seven, Leonardo, six, Romeo, four, Eduardo, two, and Maria, one (via surrogate).

Baldwin posted a clip of Maria on Instagram in April and captioned it: “People ask why. This is why. Being a parent is the ultimate journey.”

He also shares model-daughter Ireland Baldwin, 26, with his former wife, actress Kim Basinger.

The new baby comes at a stressful time for the sexagenarian, who has found himself embroiled in a wrongful death lawsuit.

In October last year, he accidentally misfired a prop gun on the set of western film Rust, killing cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.

At the time of the new pregnancy announcement in March, the couple told People magazine: “We have ‘somos un buen equipo’ engraved on our wedding bands.

“We say that to each other all the time at home – that we’re a good team.

“One of the most beautiful things our children have experienced with a big family is how the heart can grow with every new sibling.

“Our capacity to love continues to expand and we can’t wait to embrace our new little one this fall.”

Taylor Hanson, 39 Kid count: Seven

The American singer-musician and one-time teen heartthrob was the face of 1990s pop boy band Hanson, alongside his brothers Isaac, 41, and Zac, 36.

Today, the trio of young dads – who are the elder three of seven siblings – have 15 children between them.

Taylor has the most, having welcomed seven children – Ezra, 19, Penelope, 17, River, 15, Viggo, 13, Wilhelmina, nine, Indiana, three, and Maybellene, 18 months – with wife Natalie, 38.

But his notoriously prolific progeny will cease to increase.

He told ET Online: “We’ve all been incredibly blessed with amazing kids and families. I’ve always taken it one at a time, that led us to seven, so I’m just going to hold right now.”

For now, the group – best known for their catchy 1997 hit MMMBop – are celebrating 30 years together.

They released their latest album Red Green Blue in May, but have still managed to prioritise family life while on the road touring.

Taylor told People magazine: “The job of being a dad is to sacrifice everything you want for that kid.

“I may be in the middle of meeting some famous musician but, sorry, I’ve got to call my daughter and talk to her about her day.”

Eddie Murphy, 61 Kid count: 10

When it comes to quantity, the Hollywood star can tell everyone else to hold his beer.

Like Cannon, Murphy co-parents his whopping brood with five women.

He had two sons back to back with two then-girlfriends around the end of the 1980s – Eric, 33, with Paulette McNeely, and Christian, 31, with Tamara Hood.

Meanwhile, former wife Nicole Mitchell is the mother of five of his children: Bria, 32, Miles, 29, Shayne, 27, Zola, 22, and Bella, 20.

Murphy then fathered Angel, 15, with former Spice Girl and British singer Melanie Brown, and has a six-year-old girl Izzy and four-yearold son Max with his current fiancee, Australian model Paige Butcher, 43.

The comedian is used to getting split reactions when people learn he has 10 kids.

He quipped on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in 2019: “Men look at me like, ‘He’s crazy. How much did that cost?’

In an interview with British newspaper The Mirror in 2021, he said his kids always come before his career, calling them the “centre of everything”.

He added: “The idea of being out there and doing three movies a year, that’s over... I realised that if you put your children first, you never make a bad decision.

“I am so blessed with my kids, I don’t have one bad seed. I don’t have any like, ‘Oh, you are the one.’

“My kids are so great, normal people and nobody is like the Hollywood jerk kid.”

– The Straits Times/Asia News Network

Why we’re so shocked, bothered, by Nick Cannon’s growing family

SURPRISE! Or maybe not – Nick Cannon has welcomed another child, Rise Messiah Cannon, to his rapidly growing family – his 10th child, and third with Brittany Bell.

— Nick cannon/Instagram cannon with six of his 10 children.

“Another Blessing!!!” he announced in a lengthy Instagram post, which expressed gratitude for “a family dynamic that to some is unimaginable.”

Cannon, an actor, musician and TV host, has been making headlines for having multiple babies with different women in a short period of time, which he has said is “no accident”.

Each pregnancy was planned and intentional, and his relationships with the mothers of his children are healthy and consensual, Cannon says. Yet his choice to father these children has been treated as comedic fodder while raising a plethora of concerns.

Untraditional families exist all around us every day. But when it comes to a celebrity like Cannon, we tend to judge them more harshly.

Everyone has something to say, including fans, critics and even fellow stars like Vivica A. Fox (“I don’t like it,” she said in August. “The foundation of Black families, especially a strong father figure is needed.”)

“The public loves to express their opinions, because it makes them feel like part of the story,” says Donna Rockwell, a clinical psychologist and CEO and founder of Already Famous.

“When we see behavior outside the norm in the lives of celebrities, we shake our heads, pass judgement... and write it off as ‘typical’ celebrity entitlement.”

But does this make our judgements justified?

Is there a problem with Nick Cannon’s take on fatherhood?

When asked about his emotional involvement as a father, Cannon has insisted “if I’m not physically in the same city with my kids, I’m talking to them before they go to school via FaceTime and stuff. And then when I am, I’m driving my kids to school, making sure I pick them up”.

A quick scroll through his Instagram page exemplifies the love and pride he holds for his kids, and many of the mothers have praised Cannon’s presence.

This fixation on his family is unsurprising to Rockwell.

Any time someone in the public eye behaves in a way that deviates from the norm, like having many children from different households, “we as the public hang onto every detail” and treat it as gossip.

But aside from it being unconventional, some experts worry this dynamic is detrimental.

If his 10 kids, ages 11 and younger, live in different households, many wonder how Cannon can possibly be there, physically and emotionally, for each child.

Barbara La Pointe, a relationship coach who primarily works with families dealing with divorce and separation, worries Cannon is “unconsciously creating a legacy of generational trauma”.

Though there is less research on Cannon’s approach to fatherhood, studies have shown that a child’s emotional well-being is influenced by a secure relationship with their parents, as well as by the quality of that relationship.

In addition, relationship strategist Zakiya Knighten worries for his children’s mothers who, despite going into these relationships willingly, may also be at risk for higher stress levels and mental health problems. In a now-deleted Instagram story, one of Cannon’s partners said she had been awake for three days taking care of their baby, raising questions on social media about Cannon’s whereabouts.

Are we being too judgmental of Nick Cannon?

Contrary to popular belief, Cannon is not the first celebrity to father multiple children with different women.

Actor Clint Eastwood is thought to have eight known children with six different women, his daughter told The Sunday Times.

Similarly, Elon Musk has joked about “(helping) the underpopulation crisis” with his 10 children, two with singer Grimes, two with Shivon Zilis, an executive at Musk’s Neuralink, and six with his first wife, Justine Wilson.

The difference, however, is that Cannon proudly embraces his lifestyle of nonconventional fatherhood and rejects traditional monogamy, even challenging those who are skeptical.

“That’s a Eurocentric concept when you think about the ideas of you’re supposed to have this one person for the rest of your life,” Cannon said in August.

“I understand the institution of marriage if we go back to what that was about . ... I don’t have ownership of any of the mothers. We create families in the sense of we created a beautiful entity.”

It’s tempting to speculate about a phenomenon that makes little sense to many.

But, as Rockwell reminds, the reality of celebrity culture is that we only catch a glimpse of their personal lives.

Without knowing the intimate details, we as outsiders will never truly know how worrisome – or how functional – Cannon’s family of 10 actually is -

. By JENNA RYU

Elon Musk Wants You to Go Forth and Multiply - InsideHook

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Saturday 2 July 2022

A matter of Cost: Stretching their ringgit further

Janet Chia, 48, watering the lettuce plants at her house compound in Seri Kembangan, Selangor. Chia and her husband have planted several vegetables in their garden for their own consumption.

Rise in prices pushes Ipoh folk to think of alternative ways to live within means

The hike in prices of essential items such as chicken, eggs, flour and vegetables has compelled ordinary folk in Perak to plant their own greens and herbs. Some are trimming their grocery bill or dining out less frequently by cooking simpler meals at home to better manage their household expenses. LIKE the rest of the nation, consumers in Ipoh, Perak, are feeling the pinch from the rise in the prices of goods, especially essential items.

The increase in prices is taking a toll on the people, leaving those in the low and middle-income groups struggling to cope.

Retiree Joginder Kaur Jessy, 67, said she had started to grow some vegetables in her house compound to help cut cost of buying greens.

She said eating out had always been expensive but cooking at home was no longer cheap either.

Expressing dismay at the rise in the prices of oil, vegetables, fish, chicken and eggs, she felt it necessary to cut back on some items as she was a pensioner.

“I have to be more prudent now and use less ingredients when cooking.

“I will probably have to look for a cheaper type of fish, eat less chicken, try to cook smaller portions, avoid wastage and make leftover food stretch over a few days,” she said.

Among the vegetables and fruits that Joginder has planted are chillies, okra, brinjal, lemon, mint, banana and papaya.

“Most of the prices of vegetables, fish and other seafood have tripled.

“Some fishmongers and vegetable and fruit sellers have taken this opportunity to raise the prices even further,” she added.

Holly Lai, 60, a marketing manager, said that at times cooking at home was more expensive than eating out.

Lai, who is single, said she used to cook at home, but after the increase in prices, she discovered it was not worth the effort.

Preferring fish and eggs in her diet, she noted that the prices of these items were not affordable.

“For me to cook a meal consisting of fish, rice and a vegetable, it will easily cost about RM15, not including the spices and other ingredients.

“In comparison, I can get a meal consisting of three dishes and rice for between RM5 and RM7 from a stall.

“During these trying times, I must choose wisely and cannot simply eat at expensive restaurants,” she added.

Teacher Ambiga Pillay, 60, said the government should step in to counter the increase in prices.

Ambiga says she cuts down on daily costs by cooking more often at home.

Many including herself, she said, were saving on daily living costs by cooking more often as well as cutting back on luxury expenditures and travel.

“I always cook at home although it is a challenge as I work full-time.

“People think that grocery prices are lower in Ipoh compared to Kuala Lumpur, but it is not true.

“Prices here are higher because there is less variety compared to other places,” she said, adding that some also looked for cheaper alternatives to save money.

“I plan my finances based on priority as well,” said Ambiga.

Family Wellness Club president P. Mangaleswary also noted that people had been complaining about the rising prices of essential items.

She said some members of the non-governmental organisation (NGO) complained about how prices of vegetables had gone up in wet markets.

Members were saying that 1kg of tomatoes now cost RM9 when it used to be about RM5 before, she told StarMetro.

“Just last weekend at a get-together, some said they were feeling the burden of rising food prices as other expenses such as transport and house rental were also going up.

“The government’s cash aid for the B40 group is hardly enough for them to cover the rising costs.

“The government needs to look into some concrete measures to increase the supply of food such as vegetables and chicken,” said Mangaleswary.

Mangaleswary suggests that the government give food suppliers some form of subsidy.

She said it was important to have control on prices of essential food items such as rice, sugar, flour, vegetables, fruits and chicken. To keep the supply chain going, she suggested that the government give suppliers some form of subsidy to help them overcome difficulties such as rise in price of chicken feed and transport cost.

“Of course, people must be reminded to be prudent and not to waste food,” she stressed.

Dr Richard Ng, president of NGO Ipoh City Watch, said although the country was transitioning into the Covid-19 endemic phase, the B40 folk in particular had little to cheer about.

Ng says government assistance must reach the target group on a more consistent basis.

He said those who had been jobless might have heaved a huge sigh of relief as they would be able to earn a basic living.

He highlighted that a chain reaction had been triggered with the implementation of the minimum wage, the war between Russia and Ukraine taking a toll on the world’s economy, and the government’s announcement on the removal of subsidy on cooking oil and other essential items.

“These events have caused the prices of petrol, gas, cooking oil and essential food items to go up by at least 30%.

“This diminishing purchasing power not only impacts the B40 group, but also those in the M40.

“Each time such a crisis happens, the government can ask the people to tighten their belt, take less sugar, grow their own vegetables, provide one-off monetary assistance and groceries.

“But in reality, these efforts cannot really address the hard times faced by the people,” said Ng.

Instead, he said political leaders should set an example by going down to the ground and checking if the efforts made by them were effective.

He said government assistance must reach the target group on a more consistent basis, instead of just providing one-off aid.

“One way to solve this is to ensure some sort of prepaid card is given for the poor to buy groceries and other essential items from authorised outlets selling goods at lower prices.

“Of course, the mechanism must be monitored strictly to ensure there is no abuse and products sold must be of a certain minimum standard,” Ng added.

StarMetro By MANJIT KAUR manjit@thestar.com.my

Stretching their ringgit further

Like the rest of the nation, consumers in Ipoh, Perak, are feeling the pinch from the rise in the prices of goods, especially essential items.

The increase in prices is taking a toll on the people, leaving those in the low and middle-income groups struggling to cope.

Joginder showing the brinjal growing in her garden.

Joginder showing the brinjal growing in her garden.Joginder showing the brinjal growing in her garden.