Lowyat.NET: Latest topics by nix99

Did the Spanish flu trigger a mini baby boom?

nix99 — Thu, 09 Apr 2020 20:20:35 +0800

Source:
https://www.persee.fr/doc/pop_1634-2941_2004_num_59_2_18473

Iran vows "harsh retaliation" for death of general

nix99 — Fri, 03 Jan 2020 21:11:53 +0800

QUOTE

BAGHDAD (AP) — Iran has vowed “harsh retaliation” for a U.S. airstrike near Baghdad’s airport that killed Tehran’s top general and the architect of its interventions across the Middle East, as tensions soared in the wake of the targeted killing.

The killing of Gen. Qassem Soleimani, the head of Iran’s elite Quds Force, marks a major escalation in the standoff between Washington and Iran, which has careened from one crisis to another since President Donald Trump withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal and imposed crippling sanctions.

The United States urged its U.S. citizens to leave Iraq “immediately.” The State Department said the embassy in Baghdad, which was attacked by Iran-backed militiamen and other protesters earlier this week, is closed and all consular services have been suspended.

Around 5,200 American troops are based in Iraq, where they mainly train Iraqi forces and help to combat Islamic State militants.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned that a “harsh retaliation is waiting” for the U.S. after the airstrike, calling Soleimani the “international face of resistance.” Khamenei declared three days of public mourning for the general’s death, and appointed Maj. Gen. Esmail Ghaani, Soleimani’s deputy, to replace him as head of the elite Quds force.

Iran also summoned the Swiss charges d’affaires, who represents U.S. interests in Tehran, to protest the killing. Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif called the strike “an act of state terrorism and violation of Iraq’s sovereignty.”

The killing, and any forceful retaliation by Iran, could ignite a conflict that engulfs the whole region, endangering U.S. troops in Iraq, Syria and beyond. Over the last two decades, Soleimani had assembled a network of heavily armed allies stretching all the way to southern Lebanon, on Israel’s doorstep.

» Click to show Spoiler - click again to hide... «

Associated Press

School uses facial recognition to take attendance

nix99 — Thu, 02 Jan 2020 10:48:06 +0800

QUOTE

JOHOR BARU: SK Taman Perling here has taken a different approach in recording the attendance of its pupils, teachers and staff by using a facial recognition system.

Headmaster Zamri Abd Wahab said the use of the system, introduced this year, was to smoothen the school’s daily operations.

“We are always open to the use of the latest technology, ” he said on the first day of school here yesterday.

Zamri said their school was the first in the state to use the system that would see recorded data being uploaded onto the pupils’ database, which contains the pupils’ attendance record and their personal information.

The system, he said, was donated by non-governmental organisation Myrahub Foundation.

Zamri also hoped that the use of the system could be expanded to include visitors’ registration as it would help strengthen the security of the school.

The school has 1,034 pupils, including preschoolers and a special education class. — Bernama

The Star

Korean GO master quits

nix99 — Thu, 28 Nov 2019 16:35:52 +0800

QUOTE

A South Korean master of the ancient strategy game Go has announced his retirement from professional competition due to the rise of what he says is unbeatable artificial intelligence. The news that Lee Se-dol is bowing out comes three years after he lost in a closely watched series against Google's AlphaGo in 2016.

Lee managed to win one game out of five against Google's computer program — the only time it has been beaten in competition — but was ultimately defeated. Since then, AlphaGo has become even more advanced, beating other top players around the world. "With the debut of AI in Go games, I've realized that I'm not at the top, even if I become the number one through frantic efforts," Lee told South Korea's Yonhap news agency this week. "Even if I become the number one, there is an entity that cannot be defeated."

Lee told the news agency that his victory in 2016 was likely down to a bug in Google's code, after he used a move that could not be "countered straightforwardly" and the program responded in an unusual way that gave him an opening and eventually forced AlphaGo to surrender. Software programs long ago became adept at classic board games like backgammon. Their rapid progress culminated in the historic victory of IBM's Deep Blue computer over world chess champion Gary Kasparov in 1997.

In Go — which dates back to ancient China — two players alternate placing white and black stones on a grid. The goal is to claim the most territory. To do so, players surround their opponent's pieces so that they are removed from the board. The board's 19-by-19 grid is so vast that it allows a near infinite combination of moves, making it tough for machines to comprehend, and something of a holy grail for artificial intelligence scientists.

Using deep-learning artificial intelligence however, programs such as AlphaGo have been able to build up their mastery over the years and draw on data from thousands of games. The 36-year-old Lee, who won 18 international competitions and 32 domestic tournaments, according to Yonhap, resigned from the Korea Baduk Association (KBA) this month, ending a 24-year career. Baduk is the Korean name for Go.

While Lee is no longer playing professionally, he is helping to develop just the type of AI that pushed him out of competition. Next month, he has a match against HanDol, a South Korean AI program which has already defeated the country's top five Go players. Lee will also start with the edge in the first match.

"Even with a two-stone advantage, I feel like I will lose the first game to HanDol," he said. "These days, I don't follow Go news. I wanted to play comfortably against HanDol as I have already retired, though I will do my best."

CNN

Thieves escape with 1B Euros worth of jewellery

nix99 — Tue, 26 Nov 2019 11:19:57 +0800

[youtube]3HFyVS9dH40[/youtube]

It's said to be the biggest single heist in history.

Another PRC scam company busted in Melaka

nix99 — Fri, 22 Nov 2019 18:30:06 +0800

QUOTE

MELAKA, Nov 22 -- Police have arrested 51 Chinese nationals and two locals for being allegedly involved in an online loan and gambling scam using QQ and WeChat applications in Klebang here.

Melaka police chief Datuk Mat Kasim Karimin said the suspects were nabbed in raids conducted on six houses between 3pm and 8pm on Tuesday.

The suspects comprise 41 men and 10 women from China, aged between 25 and 45, and two locals -- a 33-year-old woman and a 37-year-old man.

He said they were all busy accessing their laptops targeting victims from China when police surprised them.

“Checks show that the Chinese nationals had entered Malaysia as tourists in early September using a social visit pass while the two locals had no criminal records.

“The syndicate's modus operandi is using the QQ and WeChat applications on laptops to look for victims and deceive them in various ways,” he said in a statement here today.

He said the suspects would lure their victims with specific scripts such as love scam, investment schemes or financial aid before offering a loan in Chinese currency ranging from 20,000 to 200,000 yuan.

The loan repayment period was set at between three and 48 months but the borrowers had to pay processing fees and a deposit amounting to five per cent of the loan amount.

Mat Kasim said the syndicate members would cut all communications once the victims paid the deposit.

The money collected from the victims would be transferred into a mule account in China.

He said all the websites accessed by the syndicate were in Mandarin.

Police confiscated various items including 25 laptops, 114 mobile phones, 22 computer modems, 23 pen drives, 15 mouses, 26 notebooks and 12 computer cables. The case is being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code for fraud.

Bernama

Cyberjaya scam business OPEX

nix99 — Fri, 22 Nov 2019 10:29:54 +0800

The scam business was run like a corporation. Imagine their OPEX:

Annual rent = RM360k x 12 months = RM4.3 million
Annual salaries (low estimate) = 600 x RM3k x 12 months = RM21.6 million
Annual salaries (realistic estimate) = 600 x RM5k x 12 months = RM36 million
All other expenditure (guess) = RM1 million
Employee accommodation = ??? <- Assume it's 0

Total OPEX = RM4.3 million + RM36 million + RM1 million = RM41.3 million
Not sure about their CAPEX, but let's assume it's 0.

Now what kind of people has RM41.3 million to throw around?

Tender to develop/maintain AI chatbot

nix99 — Sat, 09 Nov 2019 13:29:18 +0800

Link:
https://tender.selangor.my/news/792

Thailand mourning the death of 15 people

nix99 — Fri, 08 Nov 2019 18:31:26 +0800

QUOTE

After losing her husband in Tuesday night's massacre at a security checkpoint in Yala's Muang district, Sarinya Chaiya, 40, has suddenly found herself wondering if she should move away from the restive South. While still grieving over the sudden and violent death of her beloved husband, she was pondering whether she should return to her hometown in the northern province of Phayao with their three-year-old daughter.

The decision isn't easy for her, especially after having lived in Ban Thung Sadao with her husband, Samsami Sama, since marrying him 10 years ago. "I still don't know what to do with my life yet," she said at an Islamic funeral held on Wednesday.

Late on Tuesday night, when Ms Sarinya heard the sound of gunshots coming from the direction of the checkpoint, all she could do was pray that Samsami would not be harmed, she said, recalling the tragic events that unfolded a couple of hours after she said goodbye to her husband as he left to go on duty. Around midnight, the village head came with the bad news -- her husband had been killed in the attack. Samsami was among the 15 people, mostly defence volunteers, killed during the insurgent attack on a security checkpoint located in an area surrounded by rubber plantations.

Another villager who asked not to be named said he was terrified by how long the gunshots lasted that night. That was the third major violent incident that has occurred in the village, he said.

In the first incident in 2004, a villager was killed by an assailant who slashed his throat, he said, adding the second incident was a bomb attack on military rangers that only happened three months ago. The villager said that prior to Tuesday night's attack, a military ranger told him that everyone should be more careful, as some suspicious-looking teenagers from out of town had been seen around the village -- a sign of an imminent insurgent attack.

"Everyone, including villagers and security officials, has stepped up security precautions after that, but this kind of attack was really unprecedented," said the villager.

Thanong Mailuang, president of tambon Lam Phraya administration organisation and the head of the village defence volunteer team attacked, insisted that the team wasn't complacent about the security situation.

The defence volunteers were the easiest targets for the attackers, because all people working at the checkpoint -- which was set up when violence flared in 2004 -- had no choice but to continue doing their jobs.

The number of people behind the attack was estimated to be at least 30, 10 of whom sprayed the checkpoint with bullets while the rest did other jobs, including scattering spikes and firing M79 grenades, said Mr Thanong.

Lt Gen Phonsak Phunsawat, the 4th Army commander, has echoed Mr Thanong's view that village defence volunteers shouldn't be such easy targets for the insurgents.

Urgent adjustments are required to improve their safety, he said, adding that guerrilla warfare will then be adopted, in which these defence volunteers will continue moving from place to place in the village instead of staying at the same checkpoint.

Because the people behind this attack are almost certainly people hiding somewhere in villages, not in the mountains as in the past, tip-offs from locals about suspected hideouts will help stamp out the violence, he said.

A total of 118 such villages have been listed, he said.

"They [the insurgent attackers] appear to vanish into thin air immediately after they carry out an attack. And that's because they have hideouts right in the villages," he said.

Bangkok Post

Future modular road system

nix99 — Thu, 07 Nov 2019 14:09:11 +0800

[youtube]0vPLxwmf2dY[/youtube]

Got pothole? Just lift the section out and replace with exact replica. Done.

Malaysia detains Cambodian opposition politician

nix99 — Thu, 07 Nov 2019 10:32:47 +0800

QUOTE

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Malaysian immigration authorities have detained Mu Sochua, vice president of the banned opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), four sources with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters on Thursday.

The detention came ahead of a planned return of exiled CNRP leaders, including Mu Sochua and Sam Rainsy, the party’s founder, to Cambodia.

The sources, one of whom is with the Malaysian government, declined to be named. Malaysia’s immigration department did not immediately respond to Reuters’ questions.

Reuters

HR Minister: Many jobs but youth not willing

nix99 — Mon, 04 Nov 2019 12:53:01 +0800

QUOTE

KUALA LUMPUR: There are almost 640,000 job opportunities available across the country, with some 150,000 jobs created this year, says Human Resources Minister M. Kulasegaran (pic).

He said the employment opportunities were not only limited to dangerous, dirty and difficult (3D) jobs, but also involved management, professional, technical and others.

"As I am speaking, currently there are more than 640,000 job openings available. Not just the 3D jobs, for example at the management level there more than 6,000 (1%); for professionals more than 21,000 (3.3%); as well as technical and associate professionals for more than 22,000 (3.4%).

"The biggest challenge for us is there are a lot of employment opportunities, but the youth are not willing to take these jobs," he said in reply to a supplementary question from Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob (BN-Bera) during Question Time.

Ismail had asked the ministry to state whether the Pakatan Harapan government will be able to implement its election manifesto of creating one million job opportunities by the end of its five-year term.

Kulasegaran also noted that there were new sectors including the green economy, which is expected to generate more than 250,000 job opportunities.

"If we look within a period of a year, more than 150,000 jobs have already been created during the period," he said.

He also revealed that a total of 23,168 individuals have been dismissed from their jobs in the private sector last year, involving 17,236 (74.4%) through normal dismissal, while 5,932 people were given the Voluntary Separation Scheme (VSS).

"Meanwhile, as of Sept 30 this year, a total of 24,600 individuals were involved.

"From the total, some 21,625 (87.9%) via retrenchment, while 2,975 (12.1%) were given VSS," he told Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed (PH-Jeli), who asked the Ministry to state the amount of people who were dismissed in the private sector.

The Star

Singaporean investing in Rwanda

nix99 — Thu, 31 Oct 2019 15:57:44 +0800

[youtube]sLJgqAukNl0[/youtube]

High risk, high returns. Old video but still...

Disease where your body produces alcohol

nix99 — Sun, 27 Oct 2019 17:00:14 +0800

QUOTE

When a man in North Carolina was pulled over on suspicion of driving drunk, police didn't believe him when he said he hadn't had any alcohol. The man, in his late 40's at the time, refused to take a breathalyzer test and was taken to a hospital, where his initial blood alcohol level was found to be 0.2% — about 2.5 times the legal limit and the equivalent of consuming 10 drinks an hour. Despite the man swearing up and down that he hadn't had anything to drink, doctors didn't believe him either.

But researchers at the Richmond University Medical Center in New York eventually discovered that the man was telling the truth. He wasn't downing beers or cocktails — instead, there was yeast in his gut that was likely converting carbohydrates in the food he ate to alcohol. In other words, his body was brewing beer.

The findings were reported in a study in BMJ Open Gastroenterology. The man, whose identity has not been revealed, had a rarely diagnosed medical condition called auto-brewery syndrome (ABS), also known as gut fermentation syndrome.

Gut fermentation syndrome occurs when yeast in the gastrointestinal tract causes the body to convert carbohydrates ingested through food into alcohol. The process typically takes place in the upper GI tract, which includes the stomach and the first part of the small intestine.

"These patients have the exact same implications of alcoholism: the smell, the breath, drowsiness, gait changes," Fahad Malik, the study's lead author and the chief internal medicine resident at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, told CNN. "They will present as someone who's intoxicated by alcohol, but the only difference here is that these patients can be treated by antifungal medications."
Researchers treated him with antifungal medications

» Click to show Spoiler - click again to hide... «

CNN

Kedah, Penang, Perak, Selangor, N.S., Johor

nix99 — Sat, 26 Oct 2019 11:14:43 +0800

QUOTE

KUALA LUMPUR (Bernama): More people have been evacuated to relief centres nationwide on Saturday (Oct 26) morning compared to Friday (Oct 25) night after their houses were inundated by floodwaters.

Several new temporary relief centres (PPS) have also been opened in several flood-hit states.

In Johor, 55 flood victims from 13 families are still housed at two PPS in Batu Pahat as at 8am on Saturday.

State Local Government, Urban Wellbeing and Environment Committee chairman Tan Chen Choon said the number remained unchanged since yesterday afternoon, involving residents from Kampung Sungai Kajang, Bagan and areas around Batu Pahat Farmers Complex in Tongkang Pechah.

Sixteen victims from three families are now housed at the PPS at Sekolah Kebangsan (SK) Sungai Kajang and 39 others from 10 families at SK Seri Binjai, he said in a statement.

On Friday, 159 victims from 36 families were evacuated to two PPS in Pontian, but all of them had been allowed to return home late last night.

In Negeri Sembilan, the number of flood victims evacuated in Jelebu increased slightly to 166 from 49 families at 8am on Saturday from 162 people from 47 families on Friday night.

They were housed at five PPS here.

Jelebu Disater Management Committee Secretariat in a statement here today said the relief centres were at Kampung Poum Mosque, Kampung Chennah community hall, Kampung Juntai community hall, Simpang Durian multi-purpose hall and Kampung Jerang Mosque.

All the centres were opened since early Saturday.

The victims were from Kampung Telekong, Kampung Chennah, Kampung Juntai, Kampung Simpang Durian and Kampung Jerang.

In Selangor, the number of flood victims evacuated to the PPS in Kuala Selangor has more than doubled to 293 as at 8am on Saturday compared to 133 on Friday night.

A Smart Selangor Command Center (SSCC) spokesman said the PPS at the Desa Coalfields MDKS community hall is currently providing shelter to 91 victims from 24 families, while 164 other victims from 46 families are taking shelter at Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Parit Mahang.

"Thirty-eight evacuees from 10 families at Jaya Setia PPS had to be removed to SK Jaya Setia at 9.30 pm on Friday, ” he told Bernama.

Meanwhile, Selangor Fire and Rescue Department director Norazam Khamis said that continuous heavy rain since Friday afternoon has also caused the river in Sungai Buloh to overflow.

He said that the Selangor Drainage and Irrigation Department, however, had provided a pump near the river to pump the river water out to prevent the flood situation from getting worse.

In Perak, the number of people affected by floods in Kerian has risen to 112 as at 8 am on Saturday from only 84 on Friday.

The victims, from 26 families, are currently housed at the PPS at Sekolah Kebangsaan Changkat Lobak, which was opened since Monday (Oct 21).

Meanwhile, another PPS has been opened at Kampung Teras community hall in Ijok near Batu Kurau, Selama, following the landslide yesterday.

It was reported that the landslide had affected three houses and claimed the life of a senior citizen.

Selama district police chief DSP Mohd Sabri Saad identified the victim as Hanudin Bahazim, 60.

He said the landslide occurred at about 6pm and was believed to have been triggered by heavy rain.

"Hanudin’s body was recovered from the kitchen of the house at about 10.31pm, ” he said.

In Penang, the number of flood evacuees in the state has also risen to 124 on Saturday morning from only 31 on Friday, with two more relief centres opened in Seberang Perai Tengah.

According to State Welfare, Caring Society and Environment Committee chairman Phee Boon Poh, the two newly opened relief centres are at Bukit Teh and Tok Suboh PPR community halls.

"Fifteen victims, including a baby, from five families are currently housed at Bukit Teh community hall, while 83 others including three babies from 25 families are at Tok Suboh PPR community hall, ” he said.

The relief centre at Kampung Manggis Kemas kindergarten which has been open since last Tuesday was still providing shelter to 26 evacuees from seven families, he added. - Bernama

The Star

Gojek founder now Indo education minister

nix99 — Wed, 23 Oct 2019 11:23:57 +0800

QUOTE

JAKARTA: Indonesian President Joko Widodo on Wednesday named 35-year-old Nadiem Makarim, the co-founder and ex-chief executive of ride-hailing and payments firm Gojek, as education and culture minister. Gojek said on Monday its president Andre Soelistyo and other co-founder Kevin Aluwi would replace Makarim in running unlisted Gojek.

The Indonesian company, valued at $10 billion, raised over $1 billion earlier this year from backers including Alphabet's Google and Chinese tech giants Tencent <0700.HK> and JD .

A spokesman for Gojek told Reuters on Tuesday that Makarim will keep his stake but no have any advisory or executive role at the company. Gojek declined to comment on the size of Makarim's stake.

Investors say that Widodo's choice of Makarim, a graduate of Brown University and Harvard Business School, is a welcome signal that the president will focus on developing the booming technology sector in Southeast Asia's largest economy. The Indonesian leader has repeatedly pledged to invest in bridging the acute skills shortage faced by the country's startups.

While Indonesia's Internet economy is forecast to grow to more than $100 billion by 2025, it produces only 278 engineers per million people a year, according to consultancy A.T. Kearney.

Departing communications minister Rudiantara previously told Reuters that he expected the next Indonesian technology "unicorn" to come from the education sector due to legislation that mandates the government has spend 20% of the national budget on education.

Gojek, which acts as one-stop app through which users can make online payments and order food and services, is one of Indonesia's five unicorns - companies that have reached $1 billion in valuation without tapping the stock markets.

The others are travel site Traveloka, market places Bukalapak and Tokopedia, and Grab-backed fintech firm OVO, which competes with Gojek's own payments platform Gopay for the top spot in Indonesia's multi-billion dollar online payments market.

Rudiantara said he believes that five-year old startup Ruangguru, Indonesia's largest online tutoring platform, will join their ranks within one to two years. - Reuters

The Star

Flash floods in Senawang cause chaos

nix99 — Fri, 18 Oct 2019 15:22:49 +0800

» Click to show Spoiler - click again to hide... «

QUOTE

SEREMBAN: An afternoon downpour caused flash floods in several parts of Senawang, partially submerging dozens of vehicles. Heavy rain that started at 3pm on Thursday led to the rise in water level of Sungai Gadut, resulting in floodings around the Seremban-Tampin road, Senawang Industrial Area and Sungai Gadut KTM station.

Negri Sembilan Fire and Rescue Department (Operation) assistant director Ahmad Mukhlis Mokhtar, said the department received an emergency call at 6.24pm and deployed three fire engines; one each from Senawang, Seremban and Rantau stations, to the areas.

"Heavy rain this afternoon caused the Sungai Gadut's water level to go up about one metre, trapping many vehicles. However, some of the vehicles were able to pass through after the water started to recede around 7pm," he said when contacted here today.

Ahmad Mukhlis his teams were still stationed at the affected locations to monitor the situation.

Meanwhile, Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB) Corporate Communications head, Ahmad Asri Khalbi, when contacted, said the train services were not affected by the downpour. However, the flood had partially submerged dozens of vehicles parked at the station's parking lot.

"Those affected were unable to get out of the station due to the floods and had to wait for the water to recede." he said.

In KUALA LUMPUR, heavy rain which lasted more than two hours left about 30 PKNS flat units in Jalan Tun Razak inundated with water. The flood, according to residents, was caused by a water pump malfunction at a nearby river, similar to a flood incident two weeks ago.

A resident, Khairoul Khamis, 49 said it was unacceptable that residents had to face the flood problem for the second time this month.

"Most of the residents have been staying here all their lives and only once, about 20 years ago, that this flat was flooded,"

"We are very disappointed. The first time around, we were told it was due to negligence and now this...," he said.

He urged the City Hall, Drainage and Irrigation Department, the Titiwangsa Member of Parliament as well as the Federal Territories Ministry to look into their problem.

New Straits Times

Why other newspapers never report yea?

Malaysia govt to increase imports from India

nix99 — Tue, 15 Oct 2019 19:17:59 +0800

QUOTE

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters): Malaysia on Tuesday said it will look to increase imports of crude sugar and buffalo meat from India, after reports that New Delhi is considering restricting imports of palm oil from Malaysia.

“These steps will be taken in light of India’s importance as our third largest export destination in 2018 for palm oil and palm-based products worth 6.84 billion ringgit, ” Teresa Kok, the Malaysian minister in charge of the palm oil portfolio, said in a statement.

The minister said she was aware of the news on “issues that threaten the good ties between Malaysia and India”.

Reuters reported last week that India was considering restricting imports of some products from Malaysia, including palm oil, after Kuala Lumpur criticised New Delhi for its actions in Kashmir. - Reuters

The Star

50% of Millennials quit due to mental health

nix99 — Sat, 12 Oct 2019 23:21:40 +0800

Who are Millennials?

Researchers and popular media use the early 1980s as starting birth years and the mid-1990s to early 2000s as ending birth years, with 1981 to 1996 a widely accepted definition i.e. those who are in their mid 20s to late 30s

[Not those who are in their teens and below, that is Gen Z]

QUOTE

Millennials are bringing mental health to the forefront in the workplace. About half of millennials and 75% of Gen Zers have left a job because of mental health reasons, a study conducted by Mind Share Partners, SAP, and Qualtrics and published in the Harvard Business Review found. The study, which looked at mental-health challenges and stigmas in the US workplace, polled 1,500 respondents ages 16 and older working full time.

That was significantly higher than the overall percentage of respondents who said they had left a job for mental-health reasons, 20%. This indicates a “generational shift in awareness,” said the authors of the report, Kelly Greenwood, Vivek Bapat, and Mike Maughan.

That shift is no surprise, considering that millennials have also become known as “the therapy generation.” They’re cognizant about their mental health and helping to destigmatize therapy, Peggy Drexler wrote in a March essay for The Wall Street Journal.

Millennials, she said, see therapy as a form of self-improvement – and they also suffer from a desire to be perfect, leading them to seek help when they feel they haven’t met their expectations. But their inclination toward therapy also highlights some of the biggest problems plaguing the generation.

Depression is on the rise among millennials, who have seen a 47% increase in major-depression diagnoses since 2013, a 2018 Blue Cross Blue Shield report said. And a follow-up Blue Cross Blue Shield study in April found that millennials were less healthy than Gen Xers were at their age and were more likely to be less healthy as they age.

More millennials are also dying “deaths of despair,” or deaths related to drugs, alcohol, and suicide, Jamie Ducharme reported for Time in June, citing a report by the public-health groups Trust for America’s Health and Well Being Trust. While these deaths have increased across all ages in the past 10 years, they’ve increased the most among younger Americans, Ducharme said.

There are a few reasons behind the uptick, one of which is that young adults are more inclined to engage in risk-taking behaviors. However, the report also identified other structural factors at play, namely the many financial problems millennials are facing: student-loan debt, healthcare, childcare, and an expensive housing market.

Cases of burnout have also been increasing at an alarming rate in recent years, Business Insider’s Ivan De Luce reported. The World Health Organization recently classified burnout as a syndrome, medically legitimizing the condition for the first time.

It’s a growing problem in today’s workplace because of trends like rising workloads, limited staff and resources, and long hours – particularly for millennials, who also consider themselves the “burnout generation.”

Eighty-six percent of respondents in the Mind Share Partners, SAP, and Qualtrics study said a company’s culture should support mental health. “Mental health is becoming the next frontier of diversity and inclusion, and employees want their companies to address it,” the authors wrote.

They added: “It is not surprising then that providing employees with the support they need improves not only engagement but also recruitment and retention, whereas doing nothing reinforces an outdated and damaging stigma.”

Business Insider

Humans attacked by gang of monkeys

nix99 — Wed, 09 Oct 2019 17:50:49 +0800

QUOTE

MELAKA: The state hopes to gazette one of 12 islands off its coast as a "King Kong" park following series of attacks on people by long-tailed macaques. State Agriculture, Agro-Based, Entrepreneur Development and Cooperative Committee chairman Norhizam Hassan Baktee said he was looking at Pulau Nangka as a sanctuary for the macaques.

"Troops of rowdy primates have been harassing peopl, including women and children. We need to address the macaque issue at once before it's too late," he told The Star after the weekly exco meeting at Seri Negeri here on Wednesday (Oct 9).

On Tuesday (Oct 8), two-year-old Muhammad Anuar from Alor Gajah was injured after being set upon by macaques in Alor Gajah while walking with his father at a Taman Bukit Emas park. His 35-year-old father Muhammad Zaki Abu Bakar managed to ward off the attack by seeking shelter inside a stranger's house.

Norhizam said this was not the first monkey attack incident, adding that this was why he had suggested that an island be declared a sanctuary for macaques so they could be relocated there.

He said there had been some 580 reports of macaque attacks since January.

"The island would be planted with fruit trees to ensure sufficient food for the primates," he said.

Norhizam said that Melaka Department of Wildlife and National Parks (Perhilitan) statistics showed that there sdre approximately 118 troops of macaques in the state. He said each troop was made up of 20 to 50 macaques and was led by an alpha male. He added that these macaques brazenly grabbed items from people and smashed the windscreens of vehicles.

The Star