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Many MCFers here are experts in your own fields. Just curious. Is there any topic you could talk for at least 30 minutes without preparation? Maybe let me start the ball rolling. I have been trained in the field of semiconductor. Maybe for me it is semiconductor or Agile/Scrum master? I am not exactly an experienced scrum master but due to covid, I have attended quite a number of 2-Day courses so much so that I could now turn off the PC and start talking like them for 30 minutes. The content can be quite repetitive and overlapping. On a side note, if you are able to talk on your topic for at least 30 minutes, you may want to consider starting an online course or create youtube material for that topic!

Singaporean children at higher risk of speech and language delays due to excessive screen time https://www.asiaone.com/digital/singaporean-children-higher-risk-speech-and-language-delays-due-excessive-screen-time?xtor=EREC-16-4%5BEmarsys_Newsletter%5D-20190724&extid=6934d0cfb7b252f1ae9f0dbddf5ff88ca8637e77 In today’s increasingly digitised landscape, it’s nigh-impossible to escape the harsh white light emanating from the screens of electronic displays. It’s harder than ever before for the kids of today not to get exposed to internet-connected gizmos from a tender young age. Unless they’re living off-grid, that is. It’s something that speech and language therapist Ng Jia Yue expressed concerns about with AsiaOne. A senior specialist at SBCC Child Development Centre, the therapist is familiar with how increased screen time can contribute to behavioural problems in young children — delays in the development of speech and language, in particular. “Language delay refers to the difficulties a child has in understanding what others say and/or communicating with others,” she explained. Speech delay, on the other hand, refers to the difficulties a child has in producing speech sounds accurately, making the child difficult to understand. According to Ng, symptoms include (and are not limited to) being unable to simply convey their needs, unable to talk by two-years-old, having poor pronunciation of words, and with a preference for gestures instead of speech. “Some children may also show behavioural problems as they are frustrated when they are unable to express themselves properly,” she mentioned. With Singapore's massive internet penetration and mobile app usage rates, should parents here pay more attention to the time spent by their kids with devices? The answer is a resounding yes, obviously. Read on below to see what Ng has to say about weaning children off screens. How are these delays linked to increased screen time? A study has revealed that for children between ages six and 24 months, each 30-minute increase in handheld screen time is linked to a 49 per cent increased risk of developing expressive speech delays. This means that the ability to communicate using words and sentences may be delayed. Particularly within Singapore, a large proportion of Singaporean children are using screen devices and screen time is on the rise, from 60 to 120 minutes among children between the ages of six months and 24 months. This is significantly higher than the World Health Organisation’s recommended guidelines. Studies suggest that excessive screen time is linked to speech and language delays because face-to-face social interaction is vital to the development of language and other skills. Spending time on the screen may lead to less time for play and social interaction. So, there are fewer opportunities for developing important foundational language skills such as turn-taking. Screen-based interaction is not an effective substitute for interpersonal interaction and stifles the child’s ability to develop communication skills, pick up vocabulary, and gain confidence in expressing themselves. Do late talkers eventually catch up with their peers? Between 70 to 80 per cent of late talkers seem to catch up with peers by school-going age. These children are sometimes referred to as "late bloomers" because they appear to catch up with peers eventually. However, research has shown that these children may still continue to have difficulties in some language and literacy skills (such as reading, writing and listening comprehension), some skills related to language (such as social skills, planning and organising information, perspective taking) and how the brain processes speech. There are also the 20 to 30 per cent of late talkers who do not grow out of their language delay. Hence, if a language delay is suspected, it is important to seek the advice of a speech-language therapist to determine if intervention is necessary. How should screen time be handled? Parents should limit their child’s screen time based on their needs and ensure that screen time does not affect their sleep and daily activities. The World Health Organisation recommends controlled screen time for children under five. Namely: Watching screened devices is not recommended for children aged one-year-old and below. No more than one hour of screen time per day, for children aged two to four years old. Any screen time given to children should also be curated and supervised by parents. Parents can also help build on what they have watched by discussing what their child has watched, such as discussing what happened in the video and helping children to relate it to real life. However, more time should still be allocated for children to be engaged in active play or interactions. What are some methods parents can use to nurture their children’s speech and language development? Parents should always try to engage with their children through play, toys, verbal communication or conversations, reading books, and hands-on activities instead of electronic gadgets. This personal interaction will significantly help develop the child’s cognitive and language skills, as well as develop sensorimotor and visual-motor skills. As the child gets older, it’s also important to sustain the interaction and communication by sharing in the child’s interests and engaging with the child through their interests. This helps to build the child’s confidence in expressing themselves and communicating with others. [email protected]

HI all here is a vid of TPL speech at Marine parade wat are your views ??

some time better keep the opinion to yourself, especially regarding politic of other people.

Read this article on the way to work today - He's got some interesting comments - What resonates most with me are the observations about school sports and medals - this very much reflects my own experience. For my child's school, have got "trials" to join the CCA (not the school team, but simply the CCA) My neighbour's son was rejected from two CCA that he wanted to join.

Why no one started a tread on this? Either you are too happy or you gave up hope. Come on...20% is not bad liao. Kpkb and we got thrown a bone if you can live till 65 and still strong and healthy enough to enjoy your hard earn money. This is the key note that i am hearing. The rest are all cow droppings.

This one must clap for him. Very obvious he's asking MIW to wake up. http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/specialreports/parliament/videos/out-of-touch-politician/1018836.html One of the rare times i agree with a MIW.

http://www.straitstimes.com/breaking-news/...speech-20130403 http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/u...ow/19357430.cms

http://www.politico.com/story/2013/02/stat...550_Page10.html I happen to see live in CNA this morning, his entire speech on screen. Though I'm not into American politics, but I must say Obama is very impressive with what he said and promises. His policies are focused on local domestic problems like creating jobs for Americans, improve infrastructure etc. What grip me was his focus on local americans , their jobs, welfare , affordable housings, middle income problems, childcare education, college places for local Americans. Never once his speech was on foreign talents and workers. He talked to CEOs and they all want to hire local Americans. Obama deserved the Presidency job. So what the F wrong with our system???

The problem is the so-called freedom of speech under their Bill of Rights which Mr Mencher and his fellow Americans enjoy gives them unfettered right to say or advocate almost anything, some of which are leading to adverse outcomes such as anger, protests and violence outside their state boundary. What if one day some rogue nation enacts a bill giving their folks the right to slab, kick or spit on Americans? How? But I guess this Bill of Rights is enshrined inside their Constitution which their leaders and citizens will vigorously protect to the end and thus the rest of the world will have to live with it whether we like it or not. From ST Forum: http://www.straitstimes.com/premium/forum-...the-us-20120927 Freedom of speech is fundamental in the US Published on Sep 27 As an American, I would like to comment on last Saturday's editorial ("Stand firm against bigotry and violence") about the United States' freedom of speech laws. There is debate in the US about what should be allowed to be said, but freedom of speech is fundamental. It is listed first in the Bill of Rights, part of our Constitution. Legally protected freedom of speech (including hate speech) has persisted over the centuries, because it underpins the American marketplace of ideas. Even constraining only the most extreme speech raises real fears that "extreme" will come to mean whatever the most sensitive groups want it to mean. Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr said in a 1919 opinion: "The best test of truth is the power of the thought to get itself accepted in the competition of the market... I think that we should be eternally vigilant against attempts to check the expression of opinions that we loathe and believe to be fraught with death..." The US is among a small minority of nations in allowing such unfettered freedom of speech. And while that freedom has serious and real consequences, it is worth remembering that the nation emphatically preserves it and its benefits after great consideration, and acknowledging the costs, from its own perspective in the world. While many may call for laws restraining free speech in the US, it is very unlikely to change to the degree those offended would like, if at all. An undisputed way to stop ignorance from violently responding to ignorance is through what the editorial indirectly suggests - better education. That is something we can all agree on without reservation. Justin Mencher

Pretty moved by his speech and the others like Biden and Michelle. What struck me is the part he mentioned about 'keeping hte jobs at home versus importing new jobs fr overseas' He shd get re-elected. Romney n Ryan like a comic show! The best part I liked was he said 'i am not a candidate, I am the president!' He also mentioned steady hand nia

"when MAS escape , our minister also escape" "in 2009 PAP wan to make sharper fistinction between citizens and PR, to them citizenship is not important until GE is near" "to make distinction, citizen pay $3 less in medical clinics.....do u feel special?" crowd"NO!!!" "for education, they make citzen pay the same but raise the price for PR, it doe snot make citizen feel special but it makes the PR feel lousy!" [laugh] [laugh] [laugh]

he is a very captivating speaker

Redefining the political landscape Monday, 30 January 2012 Singapore Democrats SDP's Treasurer, Dr Vincent Wijeysingha, spoke at the 'The Young Guns Forum 2012' last week organised by the National University of Singapore Political Association. The other panel speakers were PAP's Mr Vikram Nair, NSP's Ms Nicole Seah, and WP's Mr Gerald Giam. Dr Wijeysingha outlined the prerequisites of a progressive society which were based on "principal freedoms" that emerged from societal struggles in the past. Below is the full text of his speech.

....and LKY went for toilet break. 'Fark this s.h.i.t man!'

One of the most inspirational speeches in recorded history was given by a comedian by the name of Charlie Chaplin.

Mr Speaker, Thank you, and congratulations. Following our two elections this year, some commentators tell us that Singaporeans

Anyone watching channel 8 presidential election rally? In Chinese. I'm 100% sure if Chinese oral exam he will get zero

For me the best Rally Speech is that of CST saying, I love Singapore and I love Singaporeans. Tears rolled...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84ljzIdevQk i hear already also dun know to laugh or cry, totally no content and just shout and saka his team mates! aiyo tink even JC council election time, got ppl speak better than tis

pls post link

Was at SPP Potong Pasir rally on 30 April. I've attended Mr Chiam's rallies in the past two elections and though I've known about his stroke it still caught me a bit by surprise when I saw him tonight. Gone were the rousing speeches in the past and what I heard tonight was a man uttering sentences in a slurred voice with long 30-second to a minute's pauses in between. Despite this, the crowd was deafeningly silent - patiently waiting for his next sentence with none of the background chatter one normally hears in rallies. When he spoke about LKY's criticism of his 5 'O' Levels and how he, despite his results, became a lawyer and then a MP, and that nothing is impossible once we put our minds to it, I found myself struggling to hold back my tears. Even though the line may be cliche, I found myself in awe and greatly humbled by the frail man struggling to deliver his speech before me. In truth, he didn't say much - he didn't need to. The crowd needed absolutely zero convincing that here is a man with nothing left to prove but yet strives on simply for his "love of Singaporeans". I thought maybe I was just being emo, but I saw that the grown uncles beside me were in tears too. I never thought I would ever witness such a spontaneously emotional scene in pragmatic Singapore, certainly not in a rally. The above is just my way of describing how I felt during the rally (I couldn't sleep and hence felt to need to type this out ) Perhaps after reading this you may wonder what's the big deal to get emotional about but I think it's different when one is there in person. Maybe those of you who attended can share your thoughts as well?

Factual and hilarious. He is the most feared Opp man.

I leave you guys to be the judge.