Social contact, regular exercise key to living longer

February 18, 2014

Newly presented research shows that social contact and regular exercise are key to aging well and living a longer life.  Reuters pic, February 18, 2014.Social contact and regular exercise are key to aging well and living a longer life, according to newly presented research.

In fact, feeling extremely lonely can increase an older person's chances of premature death by 14%, an impact nearly as strong as that of a disadvantaged socioeconomic status, according to John Cacioppo, psychology professor at the University of Chicago.

He noted that a meta-analysis of several studies published in 2010 showed that social isolation had twice the impact on the risk of death as obesity.

Cacioppo presented the findings Sunday at an annual conference in Chicago of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

The research carried out on a group of 20,000 people revealed adverse health effects of feeling alone, including sleep problems, high blood pressure, impaired immune cells and depression.

"Retiring to Florida to live in a warmer climate among strangers is not necessarily a good thing if it means you are disconnected from people who mean the most for you," Cacioppo said.

Often, loneliness is accompanied by a sedentary lifestyle, which can significantly weaken one's health.

Simple exercise such as walking regularly at a good pace can't just cut the risk of cardiovascular and Alzheimer's disease by 50% it can also clearly slow down the normal aging process of an older person's brain, Kirk Erickson of the University of Pittsburgh told AFP.

At the conference, the assistant professor of psychology presented new details of a study published in 2011 that involved 120 people aged 65 and older.

With age, the brain shrinks, he said. Physical activity, however, helps improve its overall functioning and, in particular, increases the volume of the hippocampus by 2%, which reverses cerebral aging by one to two years and boosts mental capacities.

"For one, this research has demonstrated the brain remains highly modifiable late in adulthood," Erickson said.

"Even though the brain shrinks and declines tend to happen it does not seem to be as inevitable... and exercise seems to be a great way to take advantage of this natural capacity for brain plasticity."

What's more, it's apparently not necessary to do a lot of exercise to get that result a "modest amount" is all it takes, he said.

However, he acknowledged, "there is still a lot to learn. We don't really know very much about how much is exactly needed."

"Even though we have learned a lot I have to say we still have a long way to go," he added.

"But that being said, physical activity seems to be one of the most promising approaches for positively influencing brain health in late adulthood."

According to the Pew Research Center, the baby boomer generation began to turn 65 on January 1, 2011, with 10,000 doing so each day until 2030, said Cacioppo.

"This has been called the silver tsunami," he said.

Some see an aging population as inevitably one with greater dementia and poor health, as predicted 15 to 20 years ago, he added.

"But in fact we see a decline in disability rather than an increase in part because" of medical advances and people "starting to take better cares of themselves."

Still, a sedentary lifestyle rather than one filled with physical activity is the norm in old age, he said.

"But we have new information about how to better age. 

AFP, February 18, 2014.

Anwar impresses congregation during visit to Holy Family church in Kajang

BY JENNIFER GOMEZ
February 16, 2014

Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim speaking at the hall of the Holy Family church in Kajang. – The Malaysian Insider pic by Najjua Zulkefli, February 16, 2014.

 
Rebuffed by keepers of his own faith when he tried to preach at a mosque last month, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was welcomed with open arms at the church of the Holy Family in Kajang after the English and Mandarin masses today.

Parish priest Father George Harrison welcomed the opposition leader as "our brother" before he gave the floor to Anwar, who vowed the 1,200-strong crowd with his 25-minute speech on various issues.
But it was Anwar's bold and direct approach to answering the questions from the congregation that impressed the crowd.

When he was asked about his stand on the religious issues currently affecting the country and the rights of Bahasa Malaysia-speaking Christians to use the word Allah, Anwar said that even international Muslim scholars thought it was a subject unworthy of debate.

"When I asked an international scholar about it, he asked me what kind of question that was.

"I told him it was Umno's question, so he explained that Muslims recite five times a day: "Praise be to Allah, Lord of Heaven and Earth.

"So, if Allah is Lord for the entire universe, how can there be limitations?" Anwar pointed out.
He also stressed that for Umno, the Allah issue  was clearly not about faith.

"If it was, then their stand must be binding on all. But in this case they are saying Sabah and Sarawak can use the word but not in the peninsula," Anwar said to loud cheers.

He then joked that this meant that a person who boarded a flight from Kuching to Kuala Lumpur will say "Insyallah I'm going to KL" when he gets on the flight but when he lands, he will have to say "Alhamdu Lord".
Anwar’s meeting of the Catholics at the Holy Family church hall comes amidst religious tension between Muslims and Christians which was reignited last year when the Court of Appeal had ruled in October that the Catholic weekly Herald could not use the word Allah in its publication.

The church is appealing the decision.

Herald had won a High Court decision in January 2009 that had overturned the Home Ministry's ban on the use of the word Allah in its publication.

The Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais) further stoked the tension when it raided The Bible Society of Malaysia's premises in early January and seized more than 300 Bibles, including the Bup Kudus, because they contained the word "Allah".

The term Allah is used by Christians who worship in Bahasa Malaysia and Iban, such as those in Sabah and Sarawak.

Two-thirds of Malaysia's 2.9 million Christians are from Sabah and Sarawak.

Mindful of the possible consequences of his visit to the Holy Family Church, Anwar said if Umno-controlled media would use his church visit against him, they should take note that he had been speaking at churches since his activist days in the Malaysian Islamic Youth Movement (Abim) in the 1970s.

He added that he continued giving his views at church events even as a government minister.

"So to the Umno-controlled media here, note that I have been going to church, I'm here now, and Insyallah,I will continue to do so."

In an obvious response to critics who had chided him for standing as an assemblyman, after he was once acting prime minister, Anwar admitted that he had gone from one extreme to the other and his experiences would help him.

"I was right up there as acting PM and then went to prison, so I'm wiser and have benefited from all my life's experiences," he said.

Anwar’s visit to the Holy Family church is part of his meet-the-people programme ahead of the Kajang by-election, which he is contesting as a PKR candidate.

His "rock star" appeal was obvious with parishioners excitedly waiting for nearly three hours to catch him in action.

When Anwar appeared just before noon, there was thunderous applause and everybody tried to capture the moment with the cameras on their handphones.

The multi-purpose hall was packed, with many having to stand.

Dressed smartly in a light pink striped shirt and brown pants, the crowd cheered when Anwar spoke about how he had brought international fame to Kajang.

"The international media mentioned me in their news, saying that my decision to stand here in 'Kay Jang' shocked my friends and foes," he said to rapturous applause.

Beaming from ear to ear, a 72-year old parishioner, who wants to be known only as Alex, said: "I have heard him speak many times, and I wouldn't want to miss this.

"We totally support him and want to hear what he has to say, especially on the Allah issue," he added.
Alex said that during the 8.30am mass, their priest had told the congregation to welcome the opposition leader as "he is our brother".

Alex said that to address the concern among a small group of parishioners who  had questioned the wisdom of allowing Anwar to speak at their parish for fear of a backlash from Muslim extremists,  Harrison had told his congregation "not to be afraid".

"I believe the church's stand is to accept everybody, so even if it was an Umno politician who wanted to speak in our church, we are not going to say no," Alex said.

Debbie, a housewife, agreed, saying that she and her friends were eager to hear Anwar's plans.
"As Christians we are taught never to resort to violence, and we stick to that.

"But the country needs a change of political power because what we want is unity not just in talk, but in action."

Another parishioner Andrew Loh agreed, saying that Christians were concerned over the Allah issue and wanted to hear what Anwar had to say about it.

"The Allah case is in court because that is the only avenue for us. As Debbie said, we will not resort to violence, but it is our right to go to court," he said.

Bernard, 45, agreed, saying that the case was about principles and the "rights of Christians".

Marcel, 50, said he fully backed Anwar as Selangor menteri besar as it was necessary for the latter to get back into mainstream politics.

Also present were Centre for Reform, Democracy and Social Initiatives director Datuk Seri Dr Edmund Santhara and PKR deputy president Azmin Ali.

Others include his party colleagues comprising Subang MP R.Sivarasa, Batu MP Tian Chua, Serdang MP Ong Kian Ming,Lembah Pantai MP Nurul Izzah Anwar, PKR vice president Datuk Chua Jui Meng.

The Election Commission has set March 23 as the polling date for the Kajang by-election, the country’s third since the general election last May, while nomination is on March 11.

Early voting has been fixed for March 19.

PKR”s Lee Chin Cheh won the Kajang state seat in Election 2013 with a 6,824-vote majority in the constituency that is 48% Malay, 41% Chinese and 10% Indian.

Lee had garnered 19,571 votes followed by Lee Ban Seng of the BN with 12,747 votes. Mohamad Ismail of Berjasa obtained 1,014 votes.

The three independent candidates who contested the seat were Mohd Iwan Jefrey Abdul Majib (249 votes), Ong Yan Foo (85 votes) and Mohd Khalid Kassim (83 votes).

The latest to indicate his intention to contest the seat is former minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Zaid Ibrahim.

Zaid is the third independent candidate with former PKR links to join the Kajang by-election, after Anwar’s former tennis partner Senator Datuk S. Nallakarupan and Anwar's former legal assistant Yuktes Vijay.

The Barisan Nasional has yet to indicate its choice of candidate but MCA vice-president Datuk Paduka Chew Mei Fun is widely tipped to be the party's choice.

 – February 16, 2014.

Police give final warning to critics of Jakim’s Valentine Day’s sermon

The Malaysia Insider

February 17, 2014

Police have issued a "final warning" to critics of last week's Friday sermon issued by the Department of Islamic Development, or Jakim, warning Muslims against celebrating Valentine's Day because it is "associated with elements of Christianity and vices that are prohibited in Islam.

Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar (pic) said criticising the sermon could incite public anger.

Khalid added that non-Muslims have no right to comment on the sermon which was meant only for Muslims.

"I give the final warning and reminder to those who try to cause public anger, because that matter can threaten their safety," he was quoted by Utusan Malaysia, adding that police would take stern action against critics of the sermon.

In the sermon, Jakim reminded Muslims not to celebrate Valentine's Day as it will lead to social problems such as drinking and baby-dumping.

"Social gatherings such as these are seen as a step towards the rise of social problems like cheating, mental confusion due to the influence of alcohol and baby-dumping," Jakim said.

An anti-Valentine Day campaign called "Mind the Valentine's Day Trap" was launched on Wednesday by Jakim director-general Datuk Wan Mohamad Sheikh Abdul Aziz, who said that while Islam has nothing against the celebration of love, it opposes immoral activities that coincide with the celebration.

We accept and celebrate Mother's Day and Father's Day, for example, to commemorate our love for our parents.

At the same time, however, Islam rejects anything, even from the Eastern culture, if it contravenes Islamic teachings, he added.

The National Fatwa Council during its 71st conference six years ago had issued an edict which said that the spirit of Valentine's Day celebrations is associated with elements of Christianity and vices that are prohibited in Islam.

February 17, 2014.

 

Anwar Ibrahim can enter Japan - unofficial source

Media statement by Dr Chen Man Him, DAP Life Advisor, in Sere ban on 11th Feb 2014

ANWAR CAN ENTER JAPAN – ACCORDING TO AN UNOFFICIAL SOURCE

This is good news, if the information is reliable.

Last month, when Anwar Ibrahim landed at Japan, he was stopped from entering Japan at an airport by the Immigration Officer, because their records showed Anwar as a convict.  According to their law, a convict from a foreign country is barred from entering Japan.

But Anwar was never a convict.  It was true that Anwar was imprisoned for six years as a prisoner, but as a political prisoner because he was accused by Dr Mahathir on trumped up charges of corruption and sodomy.

Anwar was not guilty of a crime, and therefore was not a convict.  It is astonishing that the Japanese could not make this distinction that Anwar was a political prisoner and therefore not a convict.

Anwar has yet to receive an apology from the Japanese Immigration for having committed a grave insult to his character and reputation

Times have changed.  Asia has changed. There is now a new pact of Asian and Pacific countries. The people look forward to Japan to be more expansive and progressive in the new world. Gone are the days of the Co-Prosperity Sphere of the Second World War.  We are in the age of the ASIA PACIFIC ERA

Dr Chen Man Him

DAP life advisor