Tuesday September 1, 2009

By STEFAN NAIDU

Has the threat of bullying crossed over to the virtual world and just how serious is it?

CHILDREN get bullied. This is a fact of life for both parent and child alike, even if the latter only realises this later on.

In the 21st century, a new type of bullying seems to have crept out from the Internet woodwork: Cyber-bullying.

This is where children get ridiculed and shut out of social circles on a medium that is synonymous with their generation. Abused, it would seem, without physical contact or line of sight. Abused, it would seem, in their own homes by perpetrators both known and ­anonymous.

Friday October 16, 2009

LATELY, many banks and card issuers are aggressively holding credit card promotion campaigns outside their business premises such as shopping malls and petrol stations.

I was made to understand by the regulatory authority that such campaigns are permissible, as banks and card issuers are allowed to outsource their marketing and promotional functions to third parties as long as they adhere to several criteria.

2009/08/06

LEGAL jurisdictions the world over are pondering the limits of parental responsibility for juvenile delinquency. Clearly, what it means to be a "child" is very different from what it may have been even a generation or two ago. Today, the definition is entirely chronological -- the age of the individual -- and this can range from as young as 16 to as old as 21, based on the cultural mores of the societies concerned. In this country, 18 is taken as the threshold of adulthood -- except for the vote, where the entry level is 21. The Child Act 2001 specifies provisions with regard to individuals between the ages of 18 and 21, but to most intents and purposes -- and in the present context of the criminal charges facing 44 adolescents in connection with last weekend's anti-ISA demonstrations in Kuala Lumpur -- it's the 14-18 age bracket that's most in question.

Thursday October 8, 2009

MANY Malaysians are obese and suffering from diabetes due to an unhealthy lifestyle, such as overeating and a fondness for fast-food and carbonated drinks, Tamil Nesan commented in its editorial.

Prof Dr Nor Azmi Kamaruddin of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre’s cardiology unit said there was a drastic increase in the number of people with heart disease and diabetes each year.