BuzzLife

Aisay.. this piece of news really caught my attention… Err.. wonder whether this vaccine will promote sexual promiscuity..Read on for details.

Extracted from today’s theStar :

CORRECTED : Young girls should get cancer vaccine, panels said:

By Maggie Fox, Health and Science Correspondent 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Girls as young as nine and young women up to age 26 should be able to get Merck and Co.’s Gardasil vaccine aimed at preventing a sexually transmitted virus that can cause cancer, a panel of U.S. experts said on Thursday. 

In a complicated vote, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices agreed to recommend the vaccine for three groups — all young girls aged 11 and 12; girls and women aged 13 to 26 who have not received the vaccine yet; and women who have had abnormal pap smears, genital warts, or certain other conditions. 

At their discretion, physicians could vaccinate as young as nine, the panel decided. The group also voted to include the vaccine in the federal Vaccines for Children Program, under which the government buys vaccines for uninsured or poor schoolchildren. 

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices advises the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which in turn advises school districts and other authorities. 

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration licensed Gardasil for use in women and girls nine to 26 years of age earlier this month. It protects against four types of human papilloma virus, also known as HPV or human wart virus. 

The idea is to vaccinate girls before they ever get infected with the virus. About 15 percent of U.S. 15-year-old girls are already infected with at least one strain of HPV, said Dr. Carol Baker of the National Foundation for Infectious Disease, who was at the meeting. 

The approval could make for blockbuster sales for Merck, with some analysts predicting annual sales of more than $3 billion within the next few years. 

"Merck has already been shipping Gardasil since its approval. We model Gardasil sales of $3.2 billion in 2010," said Dr. Tim Anderson, Senior Pharmaceutical Analyst at Prudential Equity Group. 

"I think this is going to be a great cancer prevention tool but it is not going to be effective for about 10 years," said Baker. 

This is because genital wart infection takes a while to cause cancer. 

PROTECTING GIRLS EARLY 

Clinical trials have shown that a three-dose course of the vaccine can prevent close to 100 percent of the lesions that can become cervical cancer, and genital warts. Women get regular Pap smears in most developed countries to detect these lesions before they turn into tumors. 

The virus also can cause much rarer penile cancer in men. The HPV 16 and 18 strains of virus are responsible for about 70 percent of cervical cancer cases. 

The CDC says more than 50 percent of sexually active women and men will be infected with one or more genital HPV types during their lifetimes. 

Cervical cancer kills about 300,000 women worldwide each year, including about 4,000 in the United States. 

The CDC has no enforcement powers. It will be up to insurers to decide whether to pay for the $125-a-dose vaccine, school districts and universities to require or recommend it and individuals themselves to decide whether to get it. 

Dr. Cynthia Rand of the University of Rochester in New York said she believed most people would get the vaccine. She has started a series of studies on how many people would take the vaccine if offered. 

"The minority of parents we interviewed didn’t think their children wouldn’t be needing it because their children wouldn’t be having sex. But they thought it would be needed in the general community," she said in a telephone interview. 

At least one state legislative group, Women In Government, will be supporting the vaccine. 

GlaxoSmithKline also has a slightly different HPV vaccine in development. 

Insurer WellPoint Inc. said on Thursday it would reimburse patients for Gardasil. 

"We believe this vaccine is a medical breakthrough that will benefit adolescents and young women throughout the country," the insurer said in a release. 

My heart sank as the pictures flashed at me on the front page of today’s the Star . Just a couple of days ago, a similar story was frontpaged in the Star. As I continue to read today’s story in anguish, I start to wonder what has happened to our children, what could have turn them into monsters!

Just yesterday, I overheard my most good-natured 6-year-old pre-schooler telling his 3-year-old brother to "get lost and kick your ass" while they fought for Lightning McQueen. It may be a normal scenario for siblings to fight, but when they start to call names and curse which is so uncalled for, I know that something is obviously wrong. Pressing further, he told me that he has been hearing that from his classmate, whose parents we know very well.

During the last open day at the pre-school, I remembered vividly the teacher told the parents of this boy to observe the punctuality because he is always late for school. I was shocked to hear the reply from the father, "Why do you start the class so early? Can’t you start it an hour later?", right in front of the child. And in a recent party organized by a mutual friend, I was even more shocked to hear what the father said to the son when the son complained that someone has boxed him, "Box that boy back, give him double punch, I will support you."

And on several occasion, I have heard the father insulting and humiliating the maid for a simple mistake and the child slapping the maid and shouting at the poor lady. Monkey see, monkey do. Adults behavior are an example to a child. If a parent acts as a bully, the children will grow up to be such.

In today’s reality, parents are too busy pursuing the material world that they have neglected their children and leave the upbringing of the children to someone else. Our children may have the most expensive toys, wearing designer clothings, going to the best school, it is pointless if they have the lowest class attitude and mentality. Unless we expect to live to a healthy 200 years to be able to provide for our children, we have to prepare them for life on their own.

Love and affection comes in the form of spending quality time with them, reading with them, explaining the concept and facts of real life. Discipline them and correct them from a very young age when they act against social norms and made them understand that these are not acceptable behaviors.

Nurturing our children is about the way we love them, the way we bring them up. A parent’s love is our children’s destiny. It’s the legacy we give them.

Love our children for the way we live today.

How do you judge a beautiful person? By her looks? her wealth? her character? How do you define beauty? To me, it is the amazing combination of exterior and interior beauty - beauty is as beauty does. And it’s just the same with our homes. A home might look pretty perfect from the outside, but a good hard look inside can often tell a different story. There are a lot of beautiful homes in town that are perfectly manicured, freshly painted but, sadly, filled with a lot of pain and unhappiness. It is really hard to tell from the outside.

In reality, nobody’s life is perfect, nobody’s body is perfect, and nobody’s home is perfect. We put so much effort into pretending that they are, when in fact it is impossible for anyone to achieve true perfection. Yet we cling to an ideal and present to the world our "game face." We can’t allow anyone to really know the truth. What would they think? Maybe that we are human afterall. That we have to always put on a happy face.

But we are all real people living real lives, struggling, raising children and working long, hard hours. Some of us are trying to get our lives back after losing a loved one or fighting major illness, bankruptcy or homelessness. Some are praying to just get through the day.

The thing to remember is that there is something beautiful in every human being. We just have to give people a chance, look beyond the exterior and reach out to them. What a huge difference that could make! Some people might just need a human touch, some might need to know they are supported and loved.

The most beautiful thing we can do is to look beyond the exterior and try to see inside the heart. That’s where the real beauty lies. If we can be real with each other and allow ourselves to just listen to people instead of worrying about what we think they should be doing, we might begin to understand each other more. Sometimes we simply need to accept people for who they are and realize that we can’t change them. The only thing left to do is to just love them as they are even if they do not reciprocate our love.

Don’t forget that true beauty lies within each of us. Because nobody is perfect.

Yet another billion dollars contribution to charity. It was reported in today’s Forbes news that Berkshire Hathaway’s Warren Buffet, the world’s second richest man will be contributing a large portion of his billions to Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and 4 other Buffet foundation. Billionaire Philanthropist Buffet and Microsoft’s Bill Gates are merging for the love of mankind, for a really noble cause. Sign of world peace, let’s hope so.

Forbes further reported : "But while Gates and Buffett now stand alongside other business titans-turned-philanthropists such as the Rockefellers, the Gettys and the Fords, they aren’t the only names in a growing wave of donors looking to change the world using the business and investing savvy they have developed during their careers. There’s also Omidyar, Brainerd and Kirsch. While they’re less famous, they’re worth noting, too, as "venture philanthropy" becomes the buzzword of the moment in the world of giving."

For more news on the corporate world’s most generous benefactors, click here.

I was at my sister-in-law’s place when I stumbled upon the book Sun Tsu: The Art of War for Manager; 50 Strategic Rules by Gerald A. Michaelson. I browsed through and I found the introduction most interesting. Let me share here and my interpretation of the moral behind it. Read on:

The Lesson of the Concubines:

Sun Tzu’s book, "The Art of War," earned him an audience with the King of Wu, who said, "I have thoroughly read your 13 chapters. May I submit your theory of managing soldiers to a small test?"

Sun Tzu replied, "Sir, you may."

The King of Wu asked, "Can the test be applied to women?"

Sun Tzu replied that it could, so arrangements were made to bring 180 beautiful women from the palace. Sun Tzu divided them into two companies with one of the King’s favorite concubines at the head of each. He then made all of them take spears in their hands and spoke to them: "I presume you know the difference between front and back, right hand, and left hand?"

The women replied, "Yes."

Sun Tzu continued, "When to the sound of drums I order ‘eyes front,’look straight ahead. When I order ‘left turn,’ face toward your left hand. When I order ‘right turn,’ face toward your right hand. When I order ‘about turn,’ face around to the back."

After the words of command had been explained, the women agreed they understood. He gave them spears so he could begin the drill. To the sound of drums, Sun Tzu ordered ‘right turn.’ In response, the women burst out in laughter.

With great patience, Sun Tzu said, "If the instructions and words of command are not clear and distinct, if orders are not thoroughly understood, then the general is to blame." He then repeated the explanations several times. This time he ordered the drums to signal ‘left turn,’ and again the women burst into laughter.

Then Sun Tzu said, "If the instructions and words of command are not clear and distinct, if orders are not thoroughly understood, the general is to blame. But if commands are clear and the soldiers disobey, then it is the fault of the officers." He immediately ordered the women who were at the head of the two companies to be beheaded.

Of course, the King was watching from a raised pavilion, and when he saw that his two favorite concubines were about to be executed, he was alarmed and swiftly sent down a message: "We are now quite satisfied as to the general’s ability to manage troops. Without these concubines, my food and drink will not taste good. It is the King’s wish that they not be beheaded."

Sun Tzu replied, "Having received the sovereign’s commission to take charge and direct these troops, there are certain orders I cannot accept." He immediately had the two concubines beheaded as an example and appointed the two next in line as the new leaders.

Now the drums were sounded again and the drill began. The women performed all the maneuvers exactly as commanded, turning to the right or left, marching ahead, turning around, kneeling, or rising. They drilled perfectly in precision and did not utter a single sound.

Sun Tzu sent a messenger to the King of Wu saying, "Your Majesty, the soldiers are now correctly drilled and perfectly disciplined. They are ready for your inspection. Put them to any use you desire. As sovereign, you may choose to require them to go through fire and water and they will not disobey."

The King responded, "Our commander should cease the drill and return to his camp. We do not wish to come down and inspect the troops."

With great calm, Sun Tzu said, "This king is only fond of words and cannot carry them into deeds."

The first lesson which I learn from this story is sometimes we have to be firm and harsh in our actions to get things done right, that is if we are confident that the actions is right. In King of Wu’s case, Sun Tsu had to resort to behead the King’s 2 favorite concubines in order to get the rest of the 178 concubines to obey him. 

Next, it is sad to see that most people take things too much for granted until something has to happen that may change their lives forever. People has been too contented with what they have. It may even need something life threatening to change their attitude. In this story, it took the death of 2 concubines to get the rest of them to change their attitude.

I extract this funny little tale from today’s Sunday Star. Thought I should share it here in case you miss this article. I am sure most of our married zhi mui have similar experience. Read on..

A WIFE’S diary: Sunday night - He’s been acting so weird. We had made plans to meet for coffee. I had been shopping with my friends all day long and was late getting to the cafe; that’s what I thought he was upset about, but he made no comment.

Conversation wasn’t flowing so I suggested that we go somewhere quiet so we could talk; he agreed but he was still quiet and absent. I asked him what was wrong; he said, "Nothing". I asked him if it was my fault that he was upset. He said it had nothing to do with me and not to worry.

On the way home, I told him that I loved him - he simply smiled and kept driving! Why didn’t he say, "I love you, too"?! When we got home, I felt as if I had lost him, as if he wanted nothing to do with me any more. He just sat there and watched TV;  he seemed so distant.

Finallym I decided to go to bed. About 10 minutes later he came to bed. I decided that I could not take it any more, so I decided to confront him with the situation… but he had fallen asleep. I don’t know what to do. I’m almost sure that his thoughts are with someone else.

My life is a disaster.

HUSBAND’S diary : Today, England lost the match. DAMN IT!! 

In Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare says,

"What’s in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet."                                 

English names may smell quite sweet one way or the other, but in our country, you’ve got to tread very carefully when naming your child. What may sound perfectly fine in your dialect or language may take on a different hue or meaning in another dialect or language. Hence, naming a child, especially a Chinese name has been quite a tedious task for most parents.

My Big J came home from his Art class the other day and asked, "Mum, why did my friends call me carrot? My name is Jerard, isn’t it, mum?" I told him, "Yes, dear. Your name is Jerard, your friends are just joking with you. Spell out your name clearly to them and tell him it is pronounced as J-Rard." Children just love to play with sounds, and if they find that they can distort or contort the name to a different sound or meaning, they will just do that. Well, who knows? Jerard might just grow to love his new nickname.

Malaysian names today are more melodious and exotic compare to those days. All the Ah-something, Ah Hua, Ah Tu, Ah Kow, Ali, Ahmad has become extinct. A visit at any Paedatrician’s clinics is a good place to listen to the nurses calling out the names. From Ali, Ahmad, Dollah, Fatimah, now we hear Jaronie, Marianna, Nadia, Natasha, Ramona, Dianna. From Samy, Param, Muthu, now we hear Shania, Arjuna, Premala. And the Chinese name has gotten more exotic oriental-sounding names such as Eu Ann, Tsu Juin, Su Wern, Qi Qian, Jia Xing. And more exotic English names such as Rhiannon, Tia, Adrianna or names of gems stones such as Ruby, Diamond, Topaz.

You would be surprised to hear that there are parents who deliberately give their children unattractive names for superstitious reason. There are even parents who consulted "bomoh" or "medium’ to give their child a name which can bring good life, good health and prosperiority to the child. They then will start to pantang this and that. Poor child!

And there are also names which I find quite a redundant. Personally, I have come across names such as Jenny Wong Jern Nie, Shirley Lee Xue Li, Eugene Ong Yew Zin. Well, as I was saying, do be careful when naming your child. Pronounce the chosen name many times and look out for any hidden possibility of distorting the name to a different sound and meaning in several different languages and dialects.

Recently someone asked me, don’t you have any Christian or English name? It’s easier to call and remember. With any Christian or English name, I may have a dozen people having the same name as mine. Nay.. Yek Nee is my name, and I am proud of it. On second thoughts, probably I should start to consider some nobody-has-it and remember-me-always name. How does Buzz Rose sound, eh? "What’s in a name? That which we call a rose. By any other name would smell as sweet" Hmmm….just as sweet as me..

This message from a girlfriend of mine came in last night. I would like to dedicate it to all my girlfriends. Do keep in touch at all times and may you excel in your chosen field of endeavor…

A young wife sat on a sofa on a hot humid day, drinking iced tea with her visiting Mother. As they talked about life, about marriage, about the responsibilities of life and the obligations of adulthood, the mother clicked the ice cubes in her glass thoughtfully and turned a clear, sober glance upon her daughter.

Every day, we need each other still.

How many of you own a vacuum cleaner? If you owns one, how frequent do you use and what do you use it on? In my brief interview with home makers, I found out that although they may have a vacuum cleaner, a lot of them still prefer to use the traditional broom when it comes to house cleaning. Now I find that strange because it’s so much more practical and healthier to use vacuum cleaner.

Just imagine the dust flying about when you sweep the floor using traditional broom or when you dust the surfaces of your furnitures, light fixtures, shelves etc. using feather duster. If you are dust-sensitive, especially if you have allergies or asthma, dust could be hazardous to your health and can provoke your asthma. It was reported that when asthmatic patients are allergies-tested, the number one enemey is the house dust mites. Although there could be many other factors which could trigger asthma, having a high hygience standard in the house definitely helps. Could vacuum cleaner cure asthma? Read this.

Depends on models, vacuum cleaner comes with various types of cleaning accessories to help you around the house. For eg. you can use the floor brush for hard-surfaced floors and carpets; the crevice tool for edges and tight corners, the dusting brush for surfaces such as table tops, light fixtures and books, upholstery brush for the sofa, draperies and bed. Most important of all, make sure you get one with HEPA (High Effiency Particulate Arrestant) filter which can eliminate up to 99.97% of all particles down to 0.3 microns, the size of bacteria.

So, use your vacuum cleaner efficiently or go get one immediately if you don’t have yet. You simply can’t do without a vacuum cleaner!

My mentor whom I have affectionately called Sifu has been admitted to have his posterior remodeled this morning. I am not sure what the hell is posterior remodeling but I do know that you have to get well soon and guide us through our journey.

We will keep you and your family in our thoughts and prayers, sifu. Get well soon and take great care. Rest well and May God place His healing hands upon you.

May you be blessed. Sifu, my heartfelt wish for you.

I must confess to never having been much of a football fan. I’d much rather not get caught up in the heart attack-inducing excitement, prefering to read self-development books or listen to audios instead. Still it is hard to deny that there’s a definite zing in the air now that the world is hot in the grip of ongoing FIFA World Cup fever. My favorite team? definitely England, the team full of well-groomed leng chais.

As we all well known, more than just football goes on at the World Cup finals. There is no secret that football and fashion rely on each other these days and it’s tempting to blame the link between fashion and football to England leng chai David Beckham (ohhhh… I am soooo.. jeolous of you, Victoria) who for one popularized diamond studs on his ears, not boots, Brylcremed hair and Russell & Bromley shoes.

His popularity confirm one thing, he could sell anything just by wearing it. If Hollywood’s elite can sell dresses by wearing them, then football finalists can certainly sell suits. Just as the world’s best designers want to see their creative efforts glide down the red carpet, they also want to see their suits worn by the qualifying teams at any major tournament, what more the World Cup.

And you’d think the best footballers in the world would stay in line for a few weeks when given the chance to pay in the World Cup. Over the years, certain players have thrown away the opportunity with ill-advised moments of stupidity and disobedience. The most controversial superstar in the history of the game, Maradona, fell foul of doping test and he was packed off home immediately, one match short of a record 22nd appearance in a final.

Then I find it amusing that everyone is also talking about football betting. Hey.. it’s ILLEGAL in Malaysia to gamble or bet even if you are to bet through a foreign Internet site unless of course you are Lim Goh Tong or Ananda. Err.. I am not so sure about office betting or betting between friends though. Having said that, I have so far never heard of the royal police busting office bets or betting between friends. Proabably, I guess they are concentrating on hunting down "hard-core" criminals like the elderly Chinese men playing mahjong in a coffee shop. 

Another funny thing when it comes to football betting in Malaysia is people always talk about giving and eating balls as a form of handicap.. Hmmm…half a ball, anyone?

During a reunion with my former classmates in Sibu recently, I was caught by surprise that most of them have at least 3 kids. Even a close friend who used to be an Air Stewardess with SIA has got 4 kids and one shy cousin of mine has amazingly half a dozen of kiddos!

Back in city life, KL, there are hardly anyone whom I know have lots of children, at most 4 children, and most of them are having 2 children. Why is it that so many intelligent, well educated, well-to-do people in cities are ceasing to reproduce? One factor, clearly, is the decline of marriage as an institution. In cities, young people marry later, or not at all. Many woman thus finds herself childless at age 40 and must, with the clock ticking, start the relationship process over again or give up on the idea of having children.

Nearly everyone knows of some horror story of a friend’s failed marriage, custory battles over the children, etc? Children are expensive. In general, it used to take one income to raise a family, it now takes two. Then there is the claim of career. Whatever the law may provide, as highlighted by Datuk Seri Sharizat in today’s news and however accommodating companies may be, having children may bound to hamper a woman’s climb up the ladder of success.

Then again, the experience of having children, however irksome, expensive, wearying and career hampering it may be, is also thrilling and delightful and full of continually changing facinations. A child lifts the heart and gives meaning to life. Not to have a family is to deprive yourself of half the joys and interest of existence.

In a recent statistic report released by Malaysia statistics department. it clearly shows the trend of falling birth crude rate among us.

Having said that, I am wondering whether it is about time I start to plan for my third baby, to contribute Dr. M’s vision to achieve population of 70 million by 2020. hopefully a princess this time….hmmmm…