scmp: Hey, parents, leave those kids alone

Hey, parents, leave those kids alone

Controversial author and TV host explains why the cellphone is the new umbilical cord

Vanessa Yung (vanessa.yung@scmp.com) Updated on Mar 04, 2012 http://goo.gl/ymLS1

New York-based columnist Lenore Skenazy sparked a furore across the United States four years ago after writing about her decision to let her then nine-year-old son take the city subway on his own.

It brought back childhood memories for some readers, but many berated her for child neglect. The incident led her to coin the phrase "free-range kids" and inspired her blog of the same name and eventually a book, Free-Range Kids: How to Raise Safe Self-Reliant Children (Without Going Nuts With Worry) about her old-school approach to parenting.

Skenazy hosts the World's Worst Mom, a new television series on overprotective parents and their children. Before its Hong Kong debut this week, she shares some of her parenting experiences.

When you wrote about letting your son ride the subway on his own, did you expect so much public criticism?


No, I didn't. He had been asking me and my husband if we would let him try to find his way home from some place by himself. We talked about it and decided that he seemed ready, and we do trust our city.

It was only a month and a half after the actual subway ride [when I wrote the column]. It wasn't until it ran the next day, when I started getting calls from the press, that I realised how controversial this topic was. I was on a lot of big television shows and talk shows in America, defending myself. I [realised] two things.

[People] said: "Oh, I used to take the subway" or "I used to ride my bike to school" or "I used to play outside until the street lights came on, but I would never do it now." That's what I didn't realise: nobody lets their kids do anything now.

The other thing is how widespread that is. Because I live in New York City, I didn't realise that, around the country, parents are driving their children to school, waiting at the bus stop when they come home, and won't let them play outside. There are parents who send their kids out with leashes now, and there are parents who put a GPS [global positioning system] in their children's backpacks. There are parents who tattoo their phone numbers, temporarily, onto their children when they go outside.

Then it became apparent to me why my son taking the subway was such a big deal. I didn't know quite how terrified all of America had become, and now, I fear, that it's that way all over the world.

What do you mean by "free-range kids", and how do you strike a balance between giving them the chance to learn and ensuring they do the right thing?


People sometimes think that "free-range" means free-wheeling, like, "Oh, just let them go." It's really not that at all. It's basically making sure that we teach them the skills they need, and then, when they have learned them, giving them the freedom and the responsibility that goes with getting a little older.

So, for instance, I wouldn't let my kid take the subway before I was sure he knew how to cross the street.

You have to teach your children that they can talk to strangers if they need information or if they need help. They could ask a stranger, but they can never go off with a stranger [or] get into somebody's car.

These are all the things that I think a free-range parent has to do. You just have to believe the evidence in front of you. And that's what World's Worst Mom does. I just want to show parents what their kids are capable of. I'm there to show them that they've been way better parents than they even believe themselves and that now their kids are ready to put those lessons into practice.

Parents don't believe this because they've made it into such a terror in their heads until I push them aside and say: "Well, your kids are going to do it, anyway, because you've taught them to deal with the frustration of falling when they're going to learn how to ride a bike." You just have to believe in your kids.

What would you suggest parents start off doing if they want to give their children a freer rein?


One thing I suggest is to leave your cellphone at home sometimes. I say that because I know that I can't get my children to deliberately leave their phones at home. So, it's up to us, because one of the things I think that has kept parents from letting go is the fact that now there's this umbilical cord called the cellphone.

It makes sense to be watching your kids all the time when they're age three and you have to say, "Oh, don't touch that. That's hot."

But as your children get older, you want them to start making their own decisions, because you don't want to send your kid off to college having decided everything for him. But when you have a cellphone, it's very tempting to do that.

I know that from my own life. When my older son was 10 - he's 15 now - and I had left [while] he was eating breakfast [at home]. I had just gotten out of the building when my cellphone rang and I thought: "Oh, my God, what's the matter?"

I answered, and my son said: "Mum, can I have another slice of banana bread?"

I felt bad because he thought he had to ask me if he could eat something if he was hungry.

That was what made me realise that we've become too dependent on being in touch and me making decisions for him. When you have the cellphone, you're so attached that you get used to doing everything for your children, and your children get used to it, too.

What about in the long run?

The macro way is to allow yourself to just think back on your own childhood and remember some of the great moments you had. You'll find most of them did not involve your parent helping you do something.

It was probably one of the building blocks of who you are - that first time that you got lost but you found your way home, when you climbed that tree or when you built something. Whatever it is that you did by yourself that you loved and that you treasure. This is something wonderful; why wouldn't you give that to your child?

You're giving them all the help and all the protection. Why wouldn't you give them the confidence and the self-reliance that you get when you do something on your own?



World's Worst Mom premieres Tuesday on Discovery Home & Health at 7.30pm (Cable TV Channel 57, Now TV Channel 214 and bbTV Channel 318)

scmp: 40pc of young women too thin

40pc of young women too thin

The number classified as underweight has nearly doubled in 15 years, raising concern about their increased potential to develop osteoporosis

Thomas Chan Updated on Mar 02, 2012 http://tinyurl.com/6qzzdnq

The proportion of young Hong Kong woman who are underweight nearly doubled over the past 15 years, leaving more women at risk of developing the bone disease osteoporosis, according to a study by a Queen Mary Hospital doctor. Dr Annie Kung Wai-chee found the percentage of 20- to 29-year-old women monitored from 2005 to 2010 who could be classified as having low body weight was nearly 40 per cent, up from 23 per cent in a 1995-2000 study conducted by the hospital's osteoporosis centre. Kung used the World Health Organisation's classification of a body mass index (BMI) - calculated by dividing a patient's weight by their height squared - as the basis of her study. It says an index of 18.5 to 22.9 is normal. In other words, four in 10 Hong Kong young women included in the study's most recent phase had a BMI that was lower than 18.5. Kung said weight-conscious women were getting thinner and exposing themselves to an increased risk of osteoporosis, a decrease of bone tissue and loss of bone density over time. "When a female is in puberty and she tries to control her body weight by eating less, she can't get enough calcium and vitamins to sustain bone growth," she said. Low body weight, smoking and too little calcium in the diet are all possible contributors to the disease. Apart from brittle bones, it also causes height loss and stooped posture. Researchers monitored the BMI of women in various age groups in two phases, with 1,080 in the earlier group and 550 in the latter. Similar increases were also seen among other age groups. About 30 per cent of those 80 or older were found to be underweight in the second phase, many more than the 6 per cent in the first phase. Kung described the consequences as extremely serious and cited the experience of one of her patients as an example. "Four years ago she weighed 36.3 kilograms and her BMI was 14. One day she slipped on a wet floor and broke her left leg," Kung said. The patient was diagnosed with osteoporosis after surgery. "A minor accident like this wouldn't cause such serious consequences to youngsters with normal bone density," Kung said. The then 19-year-old woman ate two meals a day but only dry food. After four years of treatment, she now weighs 41kg. Even though she was still underweight, Kung said, the disease was being managed. "If a person has been underweight for more than a year, it's very difficult for body weight to resume to a normal level because of psychological factors and dieting habits," Kung said. To avoid developing osteoporosis, the doctor said women should maintain a healthy body weight through a balanced diet and regular exercise. She advised those whose BMI was less than 18.5 to have a bone-density check. The Osteoporosis Society of Hong Kong says 300,000 women and 100,000 men suffer from the disease. thomas.chan@scmp.com

scmp: HK residents first in flats plan to stop speculators

支持限制私樓只向港人出售。

HK residents first in flats plan to stop speculators

Housing Society wants to ban corporate buyers at six projects with apartments costing up to HK$5.5 million

Paggie Leung Updated on Jan 13, 2012 http://goo.gl/xXiKF

The Housing Society plans to give priority to Hong Kong residents in its latest project, becoming the first developer to set such a condition for a private development.

Wong Kit-loong, the society's chief executive, said yesterday: "We want to give priority to Hong Kong people in buying our flats and we'll not accept corporate buyers. This will reduce speculative activities."

With an increasing number of property investors from the mainland, there have been calls for the government to designate land for building flats to be sold only to locals. Last week chief executive hopeful Leung Chun-ying suggested limiting sales of new flats to Hong Kong residents, to keep property prices at reasonable levels. Academics, however, fear this smacks of protectionism and would affect the city's reputation as a free economy.

The Housing Society has joined hands with the Urban Renewal Authority to develop six private residential developments, five in Sham Shui Po and one in Shau Kei Wan, to provide more than 1,400 flats.

The first development to be launched is Heya Green, which will go on pre-sale as early as April and is expected to be ready in the third quarter of next year. It is located at 18 Po On Road in Sham Shui Po and will have 327 flats. About 80 per cent are two-bedroom flats of 570 square feet while the rest are three-bedroom flats of 780 sq ft.

These were non-subsidised flats that would be sold at market prices, the society said. The current rate is HK$6,000 to HK$7,000 per sq ft, so they will cost between HK$3.4 million and HK$5.5 million.

"They will be simple but elegant flats without luxury facilities but have high efficiency rates of about 80 per cent," Wong said.

Daniel Lau King-shing, the society's director of development and marketing, said any Hongkonger would be able to buy the flats, without any restrictions on income or assets. The society is considering selling the apartments to local permanent residents.

Democrat legislator Lee Wing-tat criticised the society for its overlapping role with private developers, saying that the statutory body should provide housing "with a social objective" such as helping first-time homebuyers to attain ownership. Lee liked the idea of selling only to Hongkongers, but without any income and resale restrictions, he said, the projects would still attract investors and speculators.

Andy Ho Ming-pui, Midland Realty's director of Kowloon district, said the prices were reasonable and would draw some first-time buyers.

The Housing Society is a non-profit organisation that is also the biggest provider of subsidised housing in Hong Kong after the Housing Authority.

paggie.leung@scmp.com

scmp: Public's videos could hold clues to how blaze began

Public's videos could hold clues to how blaze began

Police call for mobile phone or camera footage of flames taking hold of Fa Yuen Street market

Amy Nip and Dennis Chong Updated on Dec 04, 2011 http://goo.gl/PKwQe

Police investigating last week's deadly fire in a Mong Kong street market, which claimed the lives of nine people, are calling on members of the public to come forward with mobile phone or camera footage they took as the flames took hold, in the hope that it contain vital clues.

Detectives believe the fire, which ripped through Fa Yuen Street market in the early hours of Wednesday, may have been the work of an arsonist, but they have yet to identify any suspects.

"We have received five or six such clips taken by members of the public in relation to the fire," Superintendent Brian Lowcock of Kowloon West police said. "We hope that if other members of the public have taken clips of the fire, please contact us and provide us with the videos."

In the videos received by the police there were scenes of fire scorching the stalls, but no one could be seen in them.

The fire - the deadliest since the 1997 handover - has been classified as suspicious, though Lowcock does not rule out the possibility that it could have been an accident. He said that if arson was pinned down as the cause, a cash reward for information could be offered.

He also rejected a report in a Chinese-language newspaper yesterday that a suspect, of South Asian origin, had been identified.

The government also said it would speed up a crackdown on subdivided flats in old tenements, a phenomenon which may have contributed to the deaths and injuries in Wednesday's fire.

Secretary for Development Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said 334 buildings more than 30 years old would be inspected in the coming six months. They all contain subdivided flats and are near market stalls. She said officials might break into flats where entry was blocked. Lam yesterday visited a building seriously damaged by the fire. She said seven of the 14 flats there had been turned into 20 cubicle homes, some of whose walls could have blocked an escape route for victims.

The bureau will table an amendment to the Buildings Ordinance in the Legislative Council on Wednesday. It would strengthen the government's powers of prosecution by allowing the Housing Department to apply for a warrant to search premises.

Meanwhile, Director for Food and Environmental Hygiene Clement Leung Cheuk-man said on a Commercial Radio programme that the government was exploring the feasibility of introducing a demerit system for market stall operators who broke rules. Under such a scheme they could lose their licences if convicted multiple times of breaching rules.

Secretary for Food and Health Dr York Chow Yat-ngok said introducing a demerit system was a logical response, but it would take time to work out details of such a mechanism, including the number of offences that would lead to a licence being terminated.

He said a balance should be maintained between safety and guaranteeing the livelihood of grass-roots stall owners. "If we can reduce fire risks, it will not be necessary to get rid of the stall operators," he said.

"A complete ban is a pessimistic way to handle the tragedy."

Nine people remain in hospital following the fire, five critically ill.

We want to help

Many of the families who lost loved ones in the Fa Yuen Street fire were poor. Many of those injured will struggle to pay for their rehabilitation. The smoke has yet to clear on the extent of the personal devastation. The SCMP Heart of Hong Kong Relief Fund is appealing for donations to help those affected. Please give generously to bring help to the fire victims.

Donation methods

• By cheque payable to "SCMP Charities Ltd". Please write "Mong Kok fire" on the back of the cheque.
• By direct transfer: HSBC 502-676588-001. Please add a transfer note of "Mong Kok fire".

amy.nip@scmp.com

scmp: Arson suspected in fatal Mong Kok fire

旺角四級大火，警方不排除緃火可能。

火警於零晨4.40am發生，11.11am受控制，1.28pm救熄。

最少9人身亡，30人受傷。

希望全部無事!!!!!

Arson suspected in fatal Mong Kok fire

Simpson Cheung, Clifford Lo, Jennifer Ngo and Lo Wei Updated on Nov 30, 2011 http://goo.gl/aVOHA

At least nine people died and 30 were injured, including a one-year-old baby, in a suspicious fire on Wednesday morning that tore through roadside stalls in Fa Yuen Street, Mong Kok, engulfing nearby old tenement buildings.
Police did not rule out the possibility of arson. Crime squad officers are investigating its cause.

The fire, which broke out at 4.40am, was brought under control at 11.11am before finally being extinguished at 1.28pm. The fire scene was closed off at 2pm - with hoses still spraying water on nearby buildings in case there were sparks.

The Fire Services Department, which used 12 water jets and 12 breathing apparatus teams to fight the blaze, upgraded the fire alarm from No 3 to No 4 – the second-highest category.

Four charred bodies were found at the staircase of two tenement buildings nearby. Three males and six females were believed to have been killed in the blaze, police said at the scene.

Anna Tsang Yim-sheung, Mong Kok police deputy-district commander, said the fire was suspicious and did not rule out the possibility of arson.

“We will consider all the evidence. This is a very serious offence. We will use all our resources to investigate,” she said.

Acting chief fire officer for Kowloon Sze To Yat-san said: “When we arrived, the fire was very serious. On one hand, we had to put it out. On the other, many residents called for help. We deployed some officers to stage a rescue operation.

“We need a large number of firefighters in a short period of time. So we upgraded the fire alarm from category three to four,” he said.

“The smoke was thick and the stench was heavy. I could hear people screaming for help. I heard the sound of explosions, too,” one male resident said.

At least 13 injured residents were sent to Kwong Wah Hospital. A 23-year-old man was in a critical condition, while a 27-year-old woman was still receiving emergency treatment. Others were rushed to Princess Margaret Hospital, Tung Wah Hospital and Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen expressed his sadness – after visiting victims in Kwong Wah Hospital.

“This is not the first time. Last year there was also a fire in Fa Yuen Street. It was discussed in the District Council. We have taken measures to separate the [hawkers'] booths from the residential blocks.

“We have also restricted the amount of stock stored [in the stalls] and the expansion [of the stalls]. We have done all these things, but apparently this is not enough.

“We need to review these measures to prevent similar incidents happening again,” he said.

Secretary for Security Ambrose Lee Siu-kwong expressed his condolences to the victims and their families after visiting the scene with Director of Fire Services Andy Chan Chor-kam.

Firefighters are still searching for residents and bodies.

Earlier, detectives from the West Kowloon crime unit visited the scene. Government chemists arrived around 1pm to investigate.

At 1pm, local residents still could not go home, so they sat and waited at the scene.

Acting-secretary for Home Affairs Florence Hui Hiu-fai said at least 70 families had registered at three inter-departmental help desks set up by the government. Residents and families should call tel: 2399-2159 for assistance.

Boundary Street Stadium has been opened to provide shelter for affected families.

Police also set up a hotline: 2398-6329 for inquiries about casualties. Witnesses can also call to provide information.

It is not the first time hawker stalls in Fa Yuen Street have caught fire. In December last year, some stalls near the scene began burning. The fire developed into a category 3 blaze, injuring six and destroying 80 stalls. Some 200 residents were evacuated. Stall owners suffered a loss of more than HK$20 million.

A 33-year-old man was arrested for a series of arsons afterwards, including fires in Nathan Road, Fa Yuen Street, Sai Yeung Choi Street North and Cheung Sha Wan Road.

scmp: Nokia Siemens to cut staff by a quarter

NSN裁四分一人手17,000職位，撤離固網主力流動網絡儀器巿場。

嘩 ...

Nokia Siemens to cut staff by a quarter

Reuters in Helsinki Updated on Nov 24, 2011

Nokia Siemens Networks, the world's second-largest maker of mobile phone network equipment, is axing 17,000 jobs, nearly a quarter of its workforce, to help save about 1 billion euros (US$1.35 billion) a year.

NSN, which has struggled to make a profit since being set up in 2007, did not say where it would make the cuts, part of wider changes that analysts said looked aimed at gearing up the company for an initial public offering.

NSN was formed by Finnish group Nokia and German congolmerate Siemens in the hope of building enough scale to lead an industry dominated by Swedish company Ericsson and, increasingly, by Chinese entrants.

It has faced aggressive pricing from rivals and an economic downturn that has forced telecoms companies to cut spending.

The job cuts form part of plans for the company to focus on mobile networks and move out of fixed-line infrastructure.

“This is a big move. I believe the goal is an IPO,” said Swedbank analyst Jari Honko. “That cannot be done with the current structure and operation models.”

Nordea analyst Sami Sarkamies said the savings from “drastic restructuring measures” would boost Nokia's annual earnings per share by up to 0.10 euro.

NSN raised 1 billion euros in late September from its parents to strengthen its balance sheet. Chief Executive Rajeev Suri said the venture would not need any further financing at this stage.

“As we look towards the prospect of an independent future, we need to take action now to improve our profitability and cash generation,” Suri said in a statement.

He said the company would focus on where it has scale adding: “We are a strong Number 2 in mobile broadband.”

Shares in Nokia were 1.9 per cent weaker, while Siemens was down 0.8 per cent by 4am HK time.

Siemens and Nokia have both said they want to make the venture more independent and see a listing as one of the options within a few years.

In July, they abandoned plans to cut their stakes in the venture after private equity firms failed to meet their asking prices.

Siemens has been looking for an exit since Peter Loescher took over as group chief executive shortly after operations between the two started.

In the third quarter, the venture made an underlying operating profit of 6.0 million euros on sales of 3.41 billion compared with a loss of 116 million euros in the same quarter a year earlier.

NSN employs about 74,000 people globally, with around 7,000 of those in Finland.

Finnish economy minister Jyri Hakamies told reporters: “It is clear that it is very severe news from a Finnish jobs perspective. The changes for both [Nokia and NSN] are massive and they raise a lot of concern.”

Nokia itself has cut more then 10,000 jobs this year, including site closures in many countries.

The scale of the cuts stunned labour unions in the home countries of both parents.

“These numbers are shocking,” said Antti Rinne, leader of Finnish labour union Pro.

German union IG Metall called employees to arms. “The latest plans are a declaration of fight against the employees,” said IG Metall official Michael Leppek.

http://goo.gl/9puen

scmp: Women 'used as bait' in sex probe

Women 'used as bait' in sex probe

Police accused of being reckless for not publicising attacks on victims who had been drinking in Lan Kwai Fong until after 'sexual predator' was arrested

Hazel Knowles Updated on Nov 13, 2011

Police have been accused of using women as bait after a serial sex attacker labelled a "dangerous sexual predator" was jailed for 5-1/2 years. Billy Chan Ho-leung pleaded guilty to five charges of indecent assault last December and January. The labourer targeted women in bars in Lan Kwai Fong, followed them when they left alone and assaulted them in dimly lit places as they walked home. But police did not release any details of the assaults, despite appeals to do so by one of his victims, until after his arrest in June. The senior police officer who headed the investigation has defended the move as a professional judgment call. "I have no regrets whatsoever about the way the case was handled. It was proven to be the correct way because we got the guy convicted," said Assistant district commander for Central district Kenneth Pemberton. But legislator Emily Lau Wai-hing and Hong Kong Human Rights Monitor said the police had threatened public safety by not publicising the attacks. The revelation of the case comes after police were criticised for delaying the release of information about a series of stabbings in Tseung Kwan O in early October and a series of indecent exposure cases in Kwun Tong on October 18 and 19. Chan was jailed on November 4 for the five attacks. The District Court heard Chan had committed the offences while on probation for indecent assault and that one of his victims had been assaulted twice. Judge Stephen Geiser rejected a defence claim that Chan had mental problems, saying psychiatric reports indicated he was a dangerous sexual predator. One victim told the Sunday Morning Post Chan attacked her in a lane off High Street, Sheung Wan, as she walked home early on January 1 after celebrating the New Year with friends. She had asked police to warn other women by publicising the attack. "I remember going to the police in January and asking them to warn women in the area," said the woman, an expatriate who is now thinking of leaving Hong Kong because of the trauma of her ordeal. "They told me they didn't want to create a panic or tip off the attacker, fearing that he might flee Hong Kong. "I was sure they were doing a good job trying to find him, but I felt I needed to try to warn women about this. I knew I would feel terrible if the same thing happened to another woman and I had kept quiet." The woman was so worried he would strike again that in March she contacted the Sunday Morning Post, which published her story. At the time, police said there was no evidence a serial attacker was involved and said no other sex attack had been reported in the vicinity either before or after she was attacked. But when the man was caught on June 8, and matched with DNA from blood taken from the victim's coat, it emerged he had indecently assaulted another woman in December in Po Hing Fong, Sheung Wan, about a kilometre from the later attack. Only when the man was in custody did police issue a press release asking for other victims to come forward. Legislator Emily Lau said the police had been wrong not to warn the public at the time of the assaults. "If there is somebody like that lurking around, the public should know," she said. "It is really reprehensible of the police not to inform the public and I definitely condemn them." Lau plans to initiate a Legco debate on press freedom on November 23, when she will mention the police practice of not informing the media and the public in such cases. She said the issue was also due to be discussed by the Legislative Council's security panel on November 25. Law Yuk-kai, director of Hong Kong Human Rights Monitor, said the police had shown "a totally misplaced priority". "It means they are using women as prey, and that is irresponsible," Law said. "To bring someone to justice is one police priority, but preventing [more] people falling prey is even more important and that is why it is important for police to release information." Law said he hoped to meet police to offer help on updating what he called was the "obsolete and outdated practices" on the release of information. "The police really need to revise their guidelines and draft them with public consultation or else they will not address the people's security needs and the need of the public and the media to know," he said. "The police cannot be stationed on every corner to take care of everyone. People have to fend for themselves and information is power. It is wrong to say law and order is only a matter for the police. It is important they release this information as soon as possible. In withholding information, they are doing the public a disservice." Hong Kong Police would not comment on the case but said certain factors - the public's right to know and operational strategies such as covert operations, and privacy of individuals - were considered before information was released in some cases, including rape or kidnapping. "Nevertheless, the police will release related information to the public according to the special requirement of particular cases. When disseminating information, the police will take into consideration the public's right to know and comply strictly with the relevant ordinances and the requirements of the Code on Access to Information." http://www.scmp.com/portal/site/SCMP/menuitem.2af62ecb329d3d7733492d9253a0a0a0/?vgnextoid=5db2d3c151893310VgnVCM100000360a0a0aRCRD&ss=Hong+Kong&s=News