Promoting a positive achievement attitude with gifted and talented students

Why one gifted student achieves while another does not remains an enigma. Although the underachievement of gifted students has been the subject of much inquiry and debate, very few controlled studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of specific interventions designed to reverse that underachievement. As we define the national educational agenda of the 21st century, "student achievement is of great interest to ... national policy makers because it is so closely correlated with the productive skills students eventually bring to the labor market" . The underachievement of gifted students represents a loss of valuable human resources for the nation, as well as an unrealized fulfillment for the individual. Determining why some high-ability students demonstrate low levels of achievement is difficult because underachievement occurs for many different reasons.

Causes of Underachievement
The underachievement of bright students occurs for one of three basic reasons:
1. An apparent underachievement problem masks more serious physical, cognitive, or emotional issues such as learning disabilities, attention deficits, emotional disturbances, psychological disorders, or other health impairments. In this case, the treatment of academic underachievement should be secondary to the treatment of the primary disorder.
2. The underachievement is symptomatic of a mismatch between the student and his or her school environment .
3. The underachievement results from a personal characteristic such as low self-motivation, low self-regulation, or low self-efficacy .

Personal Characteristics Associated With Underachievement
Here we focus on underachievement resulting from the personal characteristics of the student. However, we acknowledge that academic underachievement can sometimes be indicative of a more serious physical, mental, or emotional issue.
The results of an analysis suggested that gifted underachievers differed from achievers on four factors: attitudes toward teachers, attitudes toward school, goal valuation, and motivation/self-regulation. The results of a multidimensional scaling analysis suggested two separate profiles of gifted underachievers: One set of underachievers valued school goals and displayed near-average self-reported motivation/self-regulation, but reported negative attitudes toward teachers and school, while another set displayed positive attitudes toward teachers and school, but did not value school goals and reported low motivation/self-regulation.

Personal Characteristics Associated With Achievement: An Avenue for Intervention
Knowing that the factors listed above differentiate gifted underachievers from gifted achievers and underachievers from each other provides researchers with a possible new line of inquiry: designing interventions to change students' attitudes and perceptions in the hope of reversing their patterns of underachievement. Guidance for the design of such interventions comes from research in the field of educational psychology on four characteristics of achievers: self-efficacy, environmental perceptions, goal orientation, and self-regulation. Generally, achievers are self-efficacious. They have high academic self-perceptions and they believe that they have the ability to perform well . Second, they trust their academic environment and expect that they can succeed in it. They expect that this environment is conducive to their performance of academic tasks and they have positive attitudes toward their teachers and school. Third, they find school meaningful . They enjoy school or believe that what they are doing in school will produce beneficial outcomes for them. Finally, they implement self-regulating strategies where they set realistic expectations and implement appropriate strategies to complete their goals successfully.

Self-Efficacy
Students develop confidence in many ways, and those who are confident about their skills are more likely to engage in a variety of activities. The perceptions students have about their skills influence the types of activities they select, how much they challenge themselves at those activities, and the persistence they exhibit once they are involved . This is true for activities ranging from participation in sports and music, to school achievement.
For those who suffer from low self-confidence, suggested the following strategies to increase self-efficacy. Students who have been successful in the past are more likely to believe they will be successful in the future. The adage "Success breeds success" generally holds true for self-efficacy. To develop self-efficacy in students, educators and parents can help them recognize their successes and growth in specific areas. Rewards can also increase students' self-efficacy when they are tied to specific accomplishments . When teachers give students opportunities to revise their work, they promote efficacious behavior.
Teacher compliments should be specific to the skills students are acquiring. A specific compliment, such as, "You really know how to calculate area," provides more information to a student than a general comment, such as, "Good job." Feedback linking successes with ability is more effective if the feedback is provided early in the students' performance.
Teachers must continually raise the academic hurdle for students who have shown mastery of specific skills or content. Again, gifted students are often repeatedly forced to show mastery of the same concepts and skills, and this constant repetition may sabotage a bright student's self-efficacy. Teachers who help promote self-efficacious learners consistently provide students with challenging assignments, offer specific praise for students accomplishments, and grant opportunities for students to revise their work.

Environmental Perception
We hypothesize that students' perceptions of their environment play an important role in their achievement motivation. Students who view their environment as friendly and reinforcing may be more likely to demonstrate achievement-oriented behaviors. Phrases such as, "My teacher doesn't like me," or, "I can't learn this way," may be indicators that students do not view their learning environment as friendly or that they have developed a belief that their efforts do not affect outcomes.
Our belief in the importance of environmental perceptions is inspired by current states of knowledge in a variety of educational arenas. Underachievers appear to display negative attitudes toward school; achievers, on the other hand, tend to be interested in learning and to have positive attitudes toward school.
In order to be successful within a system or organization, a student must possess certain prerequisite skills. First, the student must understand the system; second, he or she must fit into the system; finally, he or she must master the system.
A second area of concern is how teachers relate to gifted students in their classes. Rather than appreciating the special gifts and talents these students exhibit, some teachers are threatened by the presence of gifted students in their classroom. Therefore, in some situations, underachievement may represent a coping strategy whereby students strive to adapt to an anti-intellectual school environment.

Goals
Children's goals and achievement values affect their self-regulation and motivation because goals influence how children approach, engage in, and respond to achievement tasks . When students value the goals of the school, they will be more likely to engage in academics, expend more effort on their schoolwork, and become achievers.
Attainment value is the importance students attach to the task as it relates to their conception of their identity and ideals. Providing students with role models who value academic achievement may be one way to increase attainment value.
Utility value is how the task relates to future goals. While students may not enjoy an activity, they may value a later reward or outcome it produces. The activity must be integral to their vision of their future.
This approach specifically targeted student strengths and interests and helped reverse academic underachievement in over half of the sample. Emerick also found that gifted underachievers responded well to interventions that focused on individual strengths and interests.

Self-Regulation
Self-regulation describes students' organization skills and attitude in executing tasks. For self-regulation to occur, a student must have both choice and control. Often, gifted students are not given the control over their own learning that would enable them to demonstrate their capability for self-regulatory processes.
Self-regulatory skills are more likely to be internalized when they are needed to solve the problem at hand. An obvious solution to the problem is to provide gifted students with an academically challenging curriculum early and throughout their school careers.
When teachers incorporate formal and informal preassessments into the classroom, gifted students benefit in several ways. First, students have the opportunity to demonstrate mastery of content and skills before they are taught and work at a more appropriate level, creating a need for the student to use more self-regulatory strategies in order to be successful. Second, students learn to assess what they know and do not know, which helps to develop their self-monitoring skills. Finally, the students become more actively engaged in the learning process as they begin to see the connection between classroom activities and skill development.
In summary, using programs to develop gifted students' self-regulatory skills will be more successful when the students can show mastery of prior learning and practice developing self-regulatory skills in the context of new learning.

Conclusion
No single intervention will work with all gifted underachievers. Just as gifted underachievers differ from gifted achievers, gifted underachievers differ from each other. Discovering how the personal factors discussed in this paper interact with each other and the extent to which they influence the achievement of gifted students will provide fertile areas for future research. Research and pedagogy within the fields of educational psychology and gifted education can enhance our efforts to create positive achievement environments for gifted children.

DEPRESSION? No Tension. 5 Ways to Fight Depression

"If you feel depressed, it's best to do something about it — depression doesn't just go away on its own. In addition to getting help from a doctor or therapist, here are 5 things you can do to feel better."

1. Exercise:

Take a 15- to 30-minute brisk walk every day — or dance, jog, or bike if you prefer. People who are depressed may not feel much like being active. But make yourself do it anyway (ask a friend to exercise with you if you need to be motivated). Once you get in the exercise habit, it won't take long to notice a difference in your mood.
In addition to getting aerobic exercise, some yoga poses can help relieve feelings of depression. Try downward-facing dog or legs-up-the-wall pose (you can find these poses on yoga websites). Two other aspects of yoga — breathing exercises and meditation — can also help people with depression feel better.

2. Nurture yourself with good nutrition :

Depression can affect appetite. One person may not feel like eating at all, but another might overeat. If depression has affected your eating, you'll need to be extra mindful of getting the right nourishment. Proper nutrition can influence a person's mood and energy. So eat plenty of fruits and vegetables and get regular meals (even if you don't feel hungry, try to eat something light, like a piece of fruit, to keep you going).

3. Identify troubles, but don't dwell on them :

Try to identify any situations that have contributed to your depression. When you know what's got you feeling blue and why, talk about it with a caring friend. Talking is a way to release the feelings and to receive some understanding. If there's no one to tell, pouring your heart out to a journal works just as well.Once you air out these thoughts and feelings, turn your attention to something positive. Take action to solve problems. Ask for help if you need it. Feeling connected to friends and family can help relieve depression. (It may also help them feel there's something they can do instead of just watching you hurt.)

4. Express yourself :

With depression, a person's creativity and sense of fun may seem blocked. By exercising your imagination (painting, drawing, doodling, sewing, writing, dancing, composing music, etc.) you not only get those creative juices flowing, you also loosen up some positive emotions. Take time to play with a friend or a pet, or do something fun for yourself. Find something to laugh about — a funny movie, perhaps. Laughter helps lighten your mood.

5. Look on the bright side :

Depression affects a person's thoughts, making everything seem dismal, negative, and hopeless. If depression has you noticing only the negative, make an effort to notice the good things in life. Try to notice one thing, then try to think of one more. Consider your strengths, gifts, or blessings. Most of all, don't forget to be patient with yourself. Depression takes time to heal.

For more information, check out these articles:
Depression
Can I Get Over Depression Without Taking Medication?
Going to a Therapist
Talking to Your Parents - or Other Adults
Why Exercise Is Wise
Nutrition & Fitness Center

THE MOST POPULAR COX'S BAZAR TOURS

Human mind is always being changed. For this reason now a days most of the travelers don’t want to visit famous towns living at luxurious hotels. Now they prefer to visit natural area to enjoy their holiday or vacations. Cox’s Bazar is the place where you can get similarly both.

Cox's Bazar is one of the most attractive tourist spots & the longest sea beach in the world (approx. 120 km long from Cox's Bazar to Teknaf). Miles of golden sands, surfing waves, rare conch shells, colorful pagodas, Buddhist temples and tribes, delightful seafood--this is Cox's Bazar, the tourist capital of Bangladesh.

Visit Cox's Bazar SEASHORE
World's longest and least-crowded sea-beaches, incredible 120 km in length! If you like, You will get Variety of water related adventure or relax and enjoy the scenery. For shopping there are Handicraft Villages, Burmese Stores, Pearl village etc. in seashore area in Cox's Bazar town.

Visit RAMU
Historical Ramu has a glorious ancient times for art & craft, lots of symbol of Buddhist cultural heritage still call attention to the Foreigners and Bangladeshi visitors.

Visit St.MARTIN Island
It's natural charming attractions to make you interested for vacation trip once again if you are keenly desirous to enjoy real natural environment.

Visit SAFARI PARK Dulahazara
It is situated beside Cox's Bazar to Chittagong Highway. In this park there are many kinds of animals and birds, there are fine garden, lake inside the park.

Visit HIMCHARI
Stretching along the beach, this place is a picnic and shooting center. It is about 10 kilometers from Cox's Bazar. Here lies the famous "Broken hills". There are also some water falls in Himchari. Transport available from labonee beach jeep stands.

Visit INANI
About 20 kilometers from Cox's Bazar. The beach at INANI is more than 600 feet wide at high tide and nearly 1000 feat at low tide. This beach is good for bathing and swimming. As the sun rises over the hilltops. The beaches Inani and Himchari and other points are transformed into a colorful and fascinating panorama. Transport available from labonee sea beach stands.

Visit TEKNAF
Southern tip of Bangladesh, About 100 kilometers from Cox's Bazar. The NAF river flows gently down to the Bay of Bengal. Only 5 kilometers further south and on the other side of the river lies Myanmer (Burma). The NETONG hill in the middle. Teknaf is very popular with visitors for its matchless scenic beauty. During the winter, a brive from Cox's Bazar to Teknaf along the beach is an enchanting experience.

Visit SONIADIA Island
This island is about 9 kilometers from Cox's Bazar. During the winter months, it serves the purpose of a base for deep-sea fishing. Thousands of fishermen then set up temporary camps on the island to catch sea fish and to process dried fish. There are pearl oyster beds in this island. Transport available from kochtura ghat.

Visit MOHESKHALI Island
This island is about 9 kilometers from Cox's Bazar. There is a famous shiva temple at a place called Adinath in this island. This temple was built about two hundred years ago. A week-long fair is held here every year during the month of february. Thousands of Hindu pilgrims from all over the country and also from India assemble at the fair. Transport available from kochtura ghat.

Health in Bangladesh

"Bangladesh and its people are rapidly changing and in quite a few ways for the better. The very negative image that Bangladesh acquired in the 1970’s has become much more balanced. The country is gradually becoming known for innovations such as micro-credit and oral rehydration solution treatment of diarrhoea as well as for successful mass campaigns such as family planning."

In such a dynamic context the overview of the current situation, early 2003, is therefore bound to be incomplete, open for discussion and will soon be dated. Nevertheless, at a glance, the following can be said about Bangladesh as of the end of 2002.
In December 2002 the total population of Bangladesh stands at over 133 million (Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics 2001). This is considerably less than even the lowest predictions a few decades ago. However, in spite of all development efforts, half of these 133 million people still live under the international poverty line. They have to make ends meet on less than one US $ per day. Half of those poor even live in absolute poverty, earning not even enough to buy enough food-grain to maintain healthy bodies.
In addition to these few ‘facts’, below is a brief listing of some of the achievements over the last few decades as well as a highlight of the main concerns. Furthermore the position of women and of the Christian community and NGOs is dealt with briefly.

Achievements
The "Bangladesh National Strategy for Economic Growth and Poverty Reduction" (ERD 2002) (B-NSEGPR) mentions 7 achievements (following (Akash 2002)) :

#A reduction of the acute deprivation in terms of food and income
#Increased access of the poor, both boys and girls, to education and health services
#An increase in the real wages of rural labourers
#Increased access of the poor to micro credit
#Volume of remittances from abroad has increased
#Non-farm employment opportunities have increased
#The role of women entrepreneurs in rural areas has increased.
In addition various other sources indicate clear progress in the following areas: a reduction in the number of the poorest households, i.e., without even homestead land from 2% in 1983-84 to 0.91% in 1996 (Toufique and Turton 2002 17), an increase in the awareness and mobility of women, both in rural areas due to the work of NGOs and in urban areas due to the commercial sector, particularly the Ready Made Garments (RMG) industry, a considerable improvement in Human Development Indicators (ERD 2002 5) and a decrease in the real price of food grains (Islam 2002 12).

NGO programs on the other hand often fail to reach the poorest of the poor. The design of their programs require people to have at least a place to live, an address, and often more as well such as the initiative (and time) to join a group and attend meetings, a minimal level of savings, of skills to make use of credit etc.

Remaining Challenges
While there is general consensus about these positive developments, there is another side to the coin; failure and backsliding. The B-NSEGPR lists 16 ‘failures’:
#The law and order situation has deteriorated extremely
#The vulnerability of the poor and the weak has increased enormously
#The rule of local musclemen has increased very much
#The administration in general and law enforcing agencies in particular are not accountable
#Political parties recruit school dropouts and engage them in terrorism
#The poor are disorganized and not aware of their rights
#Local government institutions lack power and accountability
#Local level health services are of poor quality
#The public/private dual education system enhances inequality
#Many government services are in a deplorable condition
#The standard of agricultural extension services is low
#There is little coordination between the various GoB agencies, as well as NGOs and CBOs
#Rural inequalities, in particular the rural-urban gap is increasing
#Politics has become polarized and conflict oriented
#Rural savings and other groups have not been able to unite and form federations
#The poor have little or no voice in policy formulation at local, regional or national level.

Overall Bangladesh has done relatively well on the human development front, but poorly in the field of reducing income-poverty. For instance Bangladesh’s achievements in the area of reducing income poverty must be seen against the achievements in neighbouring countries:
"During the period between early eighties and early nineties, the incidence of income-poverty declined by 0.8 per cent per year in Bangladesh compared with 1.9 per cent for India, 1.4 per cent in Pakistan and 3.6 per cent in Sri Lanka" (ERD 2002 3).
Finally the economic growth of Bangladesh, currently at around 5%, is considerably lower than the potential of 7-8% (World Bank 1998 111). In addition, because of the rather unequal distribution of the economic growth that has been achieved, much remains to be done if the poor are to reap the minimal benefits of being citizens of the "Golden Bengal".

The Position of Women
Women in Bangladesh still suffer disproportionately more from poverty than men. The long term and lasting impact of this is nowhere as clear as in the number of men and women alive in the country. As of 2001 there were 103.8 men for every 100 women in Bangladesh (Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics 2001 5). This is better than the even higher ratio of 105.9 in the 1991 census (Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics 2001 24). Nevertheless these figures still indicate that in Bangladesh women die in much larger numbers than in industrialized countries and that much work remains to be done. Poverty affects both more women than men and affects women worse than men. As the B-NSEGPR states:

"Notwithstanding the general improvement in the child nutritional status over the nineties, the female disadvantage in malnutrition continues not only to persist, but has also increased over the period. The HDS for 1996/97 and 1999/00 show that girls are more likely to be stunted and underweight than boys. The female-male gap for the severely stunted (percentage below –3 SD) increased from 10 per cent in 1996/97 to 16 per cent in 1999/00. Similarly, the gap for the severely underweight (percentage below –3 SD) increased from 19 per cent to 26 per cent over the same period. The gender inequality is sharper in case of severe malnutrition compared with moderate malnutrition—a striking similarity to what has been observed with respect to greater feminization of extreme poverty." (ERD 2002 13)

Of particular concern are female-headed households, of which 95% live below the poverty line (DFID 1998 2).
The Human Development Survey 2000 shows considerable sex differential in the rate of incidence of a disease case, with women being ill 11% more often than men (ibid, 12). In the last few years the enrolment of girls in primary and junior secondary schooling equals that of boys, or even surpasses it (with older girls making up for what they missed at a younger age). However, at higher secondary (age 16-20) and tertiary (age 21+) level girls are still lagging behind considerably.

The programs of NGO to help women get organized in groups and the RMG industry are also contributing to women taking a higher profile in public life. Their involvement in these activities is often a stepping stone on the way to availing the reserved or even contested seats created in representative institutions.

The prevailing bias against women is also clearly visible in the lack of women in positions of authority. In all but a few institutions, both governmental and non-governmental and in the commercial sector there are far more men than women.This is the more surprising because women are the prime target group of these NGOs.

Crocodile, Survived Great Extinction Events.

A crocodile is any species belonging to the family Crocodylidae (sometimes classified instead as the subfamily Crocodylinae). The term can also be used more loosely to include all members of the order Crocodilia: i.e. the true crocodiles, the alligators and caimans (family Alligatoridae) and the gharials (family Gavialidae), or even the Crocodylomorpha which includes prehistoric crocodile relatives and ancestors. Crocodiles are large aquatic reptiles that live throughout the tropics in Africa, Asia, the Americas and Australia. Crocodiles tend to congregate in freshwater habitats like rivers, lakes, wetlands and sometimes in brackish water. They feed mostly on vertebrates like fish, reptiles, and mammals, sometimes on invertebrates like mollusks and crustaceans, depending on species. They are an ancient lineage, and are believed to have changed little since the time of the dinosaurs. They are believed to be 200 million years old whereas dinosaurs became extinct 65 million years ago: crocodiles survived great extinction events.

Age
There is no reliable way of measuring crocodile age, although several techniques are used to derive a reasonable guess. The most common method is to measure lamellar growth rings in bones and teeth - each ring corresponds to a change in growth rate which typically occurs once a year between dry and wet seasons. Bearing these inaccuracies in mind, the oldest crocodilians appear to be the largest species. C. porosus is estimated to live around 70 years on average, and there is limited evidence that some individuals may exceed 100 years. One of the oldest crocodiles recorded died in a zoo in Russia. A male freshwater crocodile at the Australia Zoo is estimated to be 130 years old.

Size
Size greatly varies between species, from the dwarf crocodile to the enormous saltwater crocodile. Species of Palaeosuchus and Osteolaemus grow to an adult size of just 1 to 1.5 m. Larger species can reach over 5m (16 ft) long and weigh well over 1200 kg (2,640 lb). Crocodilians show pronounced sexual dimorphism with males growing much larger and more rapidly than females. Despite their large adult size, crocodiles start their life at around 20 cm (8 inches) long. The largest species of crocodile is the saltwater crocodile, found in northern Australia and throughout south-east Asia.
The largest recorded crocodile is a giant saltwater crocodile measured at 8.6 meters (28.2 feet) and 1352 kg weight (2870 lb) shot in Sumatra, Indonesia in 1978. The largest living crocodile known is a 7.1 m (25.3 ft) long saltwater crocodile, in Orissa, India.

Etymology
The crocodile gets its name from the Greeks who observed them in the River Nile. The Greeks called them krokodilos, a compound word from kroke, which means "pebble" and drilos, which means "worm". To the Greeks, this "worm of the stones" was so named because of the crocodiles habit of basking in the sun on gravel-covered river banks.

Biology and behaviour
Crocodiles are ambush hunters, waiting for fish or land animals to come close, then rushing out to attack. As cold-blooded predators, they are lethargic, therefore survive long periods without food, and rarely need to actively go hunting. Despite their slow appearance, crocodiles are top predators in their environment, and various species have been observed attacking and killing sharks.[8] A famous exception is the Egyptian Plover which is said to enjoy a symbiotic relationship with the crocodile. According to unauthenticated reports, the plover feeds on parasites that infest the crocodile's mouth and the reptile will open its jaws and allow the bird to enter to clean out the mouth (Richford and Mead 2003).
Many large crocodilians swallow stones (called gastroliths or stomach stones) and they are believed to be of use in acting as ballast to balance their body. Other suggestions have been made that they may have a function similar to that of grit in birds, which is in crushing food.
Salt glands are present in the tongues of most crocodylids and they have a pore opening on the surface of the tongue. They appear to be similar to those in marine turtles, however these seems to be absent in Alligatoridae.
Crocodilians can produce sounds during distress and in agressive displays. They can also hear well and the tympanic membranes are concealed by flat flaps that may be raised or lowered by muscles.
Crocodiles eat fish, birds, mammals and occasionally smaller crocodiles.

Danger to humans
The larger species of crocodiles are very dangerous to humans. The main danger that crocodiles pose is not their ability to run after a person but their ability to strike before the person can react. The Saltwater and Nile Crocodiles are the most dangerous, killing hundreds of people each year in parts of south-east Asia and Africa. Mugger crocodiles and possibly the endangered Black Caiman, are also very dangerous to humans. American alligators are less aggressive and rarely assault humans without provocation. The most deaths in a single crocodile attack incident may have occurred during the Battle of Ramree Island, on February 19, 1945, in Burma.

Crocodile products
Crocodile leather can be made into goods such as wallets, briefcases, purses, belts and hats. Crocodile is consumed in some countries such as Australia, Ethiopia, Thailand, South Africa and also Cuba (in pickled form). It can also be found in specialty restaurants in some parts of the United States. The meat is white and its nutritional composition compares favourably with that of other meats. It does tend to have a slightly higher cholesterol level than other meats. Crocodile meat has a delicate flavour and its taste can be complemented by the use of marinades. Choice cuts of meat include backstrap and tail fillet.

My Health :Human growth hormone (HGH): Does it slow aging process?

Your body naturally makes growth hormone to help fuel growth during your childhood and to help maintain your tissues and organs throughout your life. Beginning in your 40s, your pituitary gland — the pea-sized structure at the base of your brain where growth hormone is made — slowly reduces the amount of the hormone it produces.
Some people believe the dwindling level of growth hormone is responsible for the frailty that typically comes with getting older. And that's prompted some who are concerned about growing old and losing independence to turn to injections of synthetic human growth hormone (HGH) to stave off the realities of old age. But there's little evidence to suggest human growth hormone is the Fountain of Youth.
Who needs to take human growth hormone?
Synthetic human growth hormone is available only by prescription and is administered through an intramuscular injection. It's currently approved to treat adults with true growth hormone deficiency — not the expected decline in growth hormone due to aging. Growth hormone deficiency can be caused by pituitary tumors and radiation or surgery to the pituitary gland, among other causes.
Human growth hormone is also approved for:
Children with short stature
Children with kidney failure
Children with Prader-Willi syndrome
Children with Turner's syndrome
Muscle wasting associated with AIDS and HIV
Studies of adults with growth hormone deficiencies show that injections of human growth hormone can:
Increase bone density
Increase muscle mass
Decrease body fat
Bolster the heart's ability to contract
Improve mood and motivation
Increase exercise capacity
Because of those results, some people believe that synthetic human growth hormone can help healthy older adults who have naturally low levels of growth hormone regain some of their youth and vitality.
What can human growth hormone do for healthy older adults who don't need it?
Studies of healthy older adults taking human growth hormone are limited. Many involve a small number of people followed for a short period of time. The studies that have been conducted have found that human growth hormone injections can increase muscle mass and reduce the amount of body fat in healthy older adults.
That increase in muscle doesn't translate into increased strength. Though the study participants gained muscle, they weren't any stronger. One study compared older men who took human growth hormone with older men who went through strength training programs. The bottom line: Strength training can increase both your muscle mass and your strength, making it cheaper and more effective than taking human growth hormone.
It isn't clear whether human growth hormone can provide other benefits, such as increased bone density and improved mood, to healthy adults. Most of the research into human growth hormone has focused on people with true growth hormone deficiencies.
Are there any risks to taking human growth hormone if you don't need it?
Taking human growth hormone can cause a number of side effects, including:
Swelling in your arms and legs
Arthritis-like symptoms
Carpal tunnel symptoms
Headaches
Bloating
Muscle pain
Diabetes
Abnormal growth of bones and internal organs
Hardening of the arteries
High blood pressure
Some evidence shows that side effects of human growth hormone treatments may be more likely in older adults than in younger adults. Also, because the studies of healthy adults taking human growth hormone have been short term, it isn't clear whether these side effects could eventually dissipate or become worse. For instance, though human growth hormone produced arthritis-like symptoms, it isn't clear if this would progress into arthritis. More study is needed.

Lee Kuan Yew, Architect of the century.

" Kuan Yew, means "the light that shines far and wide". Architect of the century. 50 Most Powerful men in Asia Guru of Asian values, architect of Singapore's development. Still sought after for advice and comment. "

Lee Kuan Yew
Lee Kuan Yew was born in Singapore on September 16, 1923. He studied at Raffles Institution and Raffles College, and proceeded to Cambridge to read law. After graduating in 1949 with a double First Class Honours and a star for "special distinction", he returned to Singapore to practice law at a well known firm, Laycock and Ong.
Lee emerged as the top Malayan boy in the Senior Cambridge examinations. At the age of 19, his studies were interrupted by the Japanese invasion. After the war, he took law at Cambridge University, where he scored a double first (first-class honors in two subjects) in law.

Political career
In November 1954, led by young Lee, a group of British-educated, middle-class Chinese who had returned to Singapore in the early 1950s after studying in Britain formed the People's Action Party. The party sought to attract a following among the mostly poor and non-English-speaking masses.
Lee became the first offically elected Prime Minister of Singapore. He stayed in office from 1959 to 1990, when he voluntarily stepped down from office to let a group of second-generation leaders take over the running of the government.
Lee's intellect and energy shaped bold -- and often uncompromising -- responses to the challenges of wresting rule from the British and building a nation. His government sought to build a multiracial and multilingual society that would be unified by a sense of a unique "Singaporean identity".
During Lee's long rule, Singapore experienced remarkable economic growth and diversification. In addition to enhancing its position as a world trade centre, it has developed powerful financial and industrial sectors. Singapore has the most advanced economy in Southeast Asia. An island of 600 square kilometres, with three million people, it is the ninth richest country in per capita terms today.
Even in his graying years, the founding prime minister of Singapore wields very strong influence. He is regarded as virtually a national institution at home. Governments elsewhere solicit his advice on development, and his insights on a changing world, particularly the rise of Asia, are widely respected.
The story of how Lee transformed Singapore is a fascinating one because no other leader in the modern world has had such a hand in influencing and directing his country's progress from independence to developed nation status the way he has. None has straddled the two worlds with as much success: the revolutionary world in the first half of this century for independence from empire, and the development world in the second half for wealth and progress.
That Singapore is a success today and the success is largely attributable to Lee, there can be few doubts, even among his most severe critics.

Prospects for Democracy
The purpose of this paper has been to demonstrate the extent to which Lee Kuan
Yew and other Singaporean leaders have conceptualised politics, and acted in them, as
Machiavelli would have recommended. By creating a continuity between Lee’s
ideological premise of Asian values and the notion of Virtù in Machiavelli’s works, it
has been asserted that both men rejected the predominant worldview of their time, in
favour of another value system which they deemed more suitable for politics. Asian
values and Virtù have also been shown to intrinsically have much in common.
Subsequently were explored the points of convergence between the meathods of
Singapore’s PAP government in maintaining control of the opposition and the people,
and Machiavelli’s observations and counsels. A perfect correlation can never exist, but
it is hoped that by now there has emerged a clear picture of the Machiavellian imprint
on Singapore’s politics.

Lee Kuan Yew's Fabian Phase
Lee Kuan Yew, was undoubtedly genuine in his belief in Fabian socialism in his university days, but there has been very little detailed attention paid to the later development and eventual abandonment of his socialist ideas, or his attitude to the welfare state. This article explores the conflicts and paradoxes in Lee's own accounts of his early socialism and argues that Lee never intended to build a welfare state in Singapore, Malaya or Malaysia, but that despite the apparent contradiction, he regarded himself genuinely as a socialist in the early years of the People's Action Party (PAP) government. The basis for this conclusion is four-fold: a study of Lee's reminiscences of his ‘socialist youth’; a study of the politics of the major welfare issue facing the first PAP Government; a brief examination of the PAP's record during the period of Singapore's membership of Malaysia, and; a study of Lee's statements regarding socialism and welfarism at the time. The article also considers the relationship between Lee's socialism and British and Chinese socialism.

Mahathir Bin Mohamad

This is a Malay name; the name "Mohamad" is a patronymic, not a family name, and the person should be referred to by his or her given name, "Mahathir".

Tun Dr. Mahathir bin Mohamad was the fourth Prime Minister of Malaysia. He held the post for 22 years from from 1981 to 2003, making him Malaysia's longest-serving Prime Minister, and one of the longest-serving leaders in Asia. During his term in office, he was credited for engineering Malaysia's rapid modernization and promoting non-individualistic "Asian values". Tun Mahathir is also known for his criticisms of western and developed countries,
During this administration, he is considered as one of Asia's most influential leaders. Mahathir is also noted in the Western world as an outspoken critic of Western civilization

Personal
Mahathir was born on December 20, 1925, in Alor Star, the capital of the northern state of Kedah. His father was a school teacher of Indian origin, having migrated from the southern state of Kerala, while his mother was a Malay; Mahathir generally associates himself with a Malay ethnic identity. During World War II, he sold pisang goreng (banana fritters) and other snacks to supplement his family income during the Japanese occupation of Malaya.
Mahathir attended a Malay vernacular school before continuing his education at the Sultan Abdul Hamid College in Alor Star. Mahathir then attended the King Edward VII Medical College in Singapore, where he edited a medical student magazine called The Cauldron; he also contributed to the The Straits Times newspaper anonymously under the nickname "Che Det". Mahathir was also President of the Muslim Society in the college. Upon graduation in 1953, Mahathir joined the then Malayan government service as a medical officer. He married Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali—a fellow doctor and former classmate in college—on 5 August 1956, and left government service in 1957 to set up his own private practice in Alor Star. Mahathir thrived in private practice, and allowed him to own by 1959 a Pontiac Catalina and employ an ethnic Chinese chauffeur (at the time, almost all chauffeurs in Malaysia were Malays, owing to the economic dominance of the ethnic Chinese). Some critics have suggested this foreshadowed a later hallmark of Mahathir's politics, which focused on the "cultivation of such emblems of power".

Political career
Active in politics since 1945, beginning with his involvement in the Anti-Malayan Union Campaign, Mahathir joined the United Malays National Organization (UMNO) at its inception in 1946. As State Party Chairman, and Chairman of the Political Committee, he inadvertently angered some quarters with his proposal that the selection of candidates be based on certain qualifications for the 1959 general election. Hurt by accusations that he was scheming to put up candidates who were strongly allied to him, Mahathir refused to take part in the national election that year.
In the third general election of 1964, Mahathir was elected Member of Parliament for Kota Setar Selatan defeating the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party's (PAS) candidate with a 60.2% majority. He lost the seat in the following general election in 1969 by a mere 989 votes to PAS's candidate, Haji Yusoff Rawa after he categorically declared that he did not need Chinese votes to win.
Following the race riots of 13 May 1969, Mahathir was sacked from the UMNO Supreme Council on 12 July, following his widespread distribution to the public of his letter to Tunku Abdul Rahman, the Prime Minister at that time. In his letter, he had criticised the manner in which Tunku Abdul Rahman had handled the country's administration which was believed to favour the ethnic Chinese. Mahathir was subsequently relieved of his party membership on 26 September.
While in the political wilderness, Mahathir wrote his book, "The Malay Dilemma” in which he sought to explain the causes of the May 13 Incident in Kuala Lumpur and the reasons for the Malays' lack of economic progress within their own country. He then proposed a politico-economic solution in the form of "constructive protection", worked out after careful consideration of the effects of heredity and environmental factors on the Malay race. The book, published in 1970, was promptly banned by the Tunku Abdul Rahman government. However, some of the proposals in this book had been used by Tun Abdul Razak, Tunku Abdul Rahman's successor, in his "New Economic Policy" (NEP) that was principally geared towards affirmative action economic programs to address the nation's economic disparity between the Malays and the non-Malays. The ban on his book was eventually lifted after Mahathir became Prime Minister in 1981.
Mahathir rejoined UMNO on 7 March 1972, and was appointed as Senator in 1973. He relinquished the senatorship post in 1974 in order to contest in the general elections where he was returned unopposed in the constituency of Kubang Pasu, and was appointed as the Minister of Education. In 1975, he became one of the three vice-presidents of UMNO, after winning the seat by 47 votes. Tun Hussein Onn appointed Mahathir as Deputy Prime Minister on 15 September 1978, and in a Cabinet reshuffle, appointed him concurrently as the Minister of Trade and Industry.
Mahathir became the Prime Minister of Malaysia on 16 July 1981 when Tun Hussein Onn stepped down due to health reasons. After 22 years in office, Mahathir retired on October 31, 2003, making him one of Asia's longest-serving political leaders. Upon his retirement on 31 October 2003, Mahathir was awarded a "Tun"-ship, Malaysia's highest civilian honour.

Leadership
Major constitutional changes
In 1983 and 1991, he took on the federal and state monarchies, removing the royal veto and royal immunity from prosecution.[10] Prior to this amendment of the law, royal assent was required in order for any bill to pass into law. With effect of this amendment, approval by parliament could be legally considered as royal assent after a period of 30 days, notwithstanding the views of the monarchs. However, this only applied to secular laws and the various sultans continued to enjoy the right to make Islamic law in their own jurisdictions.
In 1988 when the future of the ruling party UMNO was about to be decided in the Supreme Court (it had just been deregistered as an illegal society in the High Court), he was believed to have engineered the dismissal of the Lord President of the Supreme Court, Salleh Abas, and three other supreme court justices who tried to block the misconduct hearings. The series of incidents in 1988 has been widely viewed as the end of the Malaysian judiciary's independence from the executive.
Economic policies
During his term in office, Mahathir turned Malaysia into a regional high-tech manufacturing, financial, and telecommunications hub through his economic policies based on corporate nationalism, known as the various "Malaysia Plans" which set out the government middle-term objectives. These policies with strong Keynesian tendency remained in effect almost to the end of his tenure in office.
His pet projects have included Perwaja Steel, an attempt to emulate South Korea and Japan, the Proton car company, and Astro, a satellite television service.
Mahathir is credited with spearheading the phenomenal growth of the Malaysian economy, now one of the largest in South East Asia. Growth between 1988 and 1997 averaged over ten percent and living standards rose twentyfold, with poverty relatively almost eradicated and social indicators such as literacy levels and infant mortality rates becoming almost on par with developed countries.
During this period, Mahathir embarked on various large scale national projects, such as the North-South Expressway, Multimedia Super Corridor, the planned capital city of Putrajaya, Johor's Port of Tanjung Pelepas, Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA), the Bakun Dam in Sarawak, and the Petronas Twin Towers.
While such projects have their benefits, corresponding high costs have made some Malaysians reluctant to engage in more of such ventures, believing that the money can be better spent on other areas of development. On the other hand, Mahathir has always argued that such projects yield a direct return to the economy, apart from just serving the national pride, as government spendings in turn create jobs along with other multiplier effects. Mahathir has also been criticised for the failures and inefficiency of some of his pet projects. Perwaja Steel eventually failed and had to be rescued by a corporate white knight. Its chairman, Eric Chia, faced charges of corruption in 2004. Proton eventually had to be bought by Petronas when its parent DRB-HICOM found itself over-extended, and is still currently fighting to become profitable. Astro enjoyed a monopoly on pay television services in Malaysia until 2005 when it ended with the granting of a licence to a rival MiTV
The Bakun Dam project was to be managed by a local construction firm, Ekran Berhad. It issued a 1-for-1 on time rights issue which was 63% undersubscribed (the first time in Malaysia for an event of this magnitude). Ekran's chairman, Ting Pek King, had to purchase all unsubscribed shares at a cost of $500 million ringgit due to his agreement with the underwriters. Subsequently the dam project was taken back by the government which was obliged to pay Ekran for the work already completed.

Financial speculation
During Mahathir's administration, there are a few speculation activities made by the administration which caused losses for Malaysia. Between 1981 and 1982, Malaysian businesses became involved in the international tin venture. The activity caused the price of the commodity to skyrocket, resulting in the collapse of the export market for tin. This venture cost Malaysia USD 80 million or MYR 209 million in losses.
In 1990, Bank Negara Malaysia became involved in the Pound Sterling speculation. The speculation activity failed and costs the central bank USD 4 billion. In 1994, the bank continued to pursue the speculation activity and further lost USD 2.2 billion. Finally, in 1994, the central bank technically become insolvent and was bailed out by the Ministry of Finance.

Educational system
In 1974, Mahathir was appointed Minister of Education. He had always believed in the need for "education for the masses", with greater emphasis on maths and science, at high school level, in order to achieve his dream of a developed Malaysia. He continued to strongly promote his agenda of quantity-and-quality higher education during his term as prime minister.
In those days, English, Chinese and Tamil-medium schools were fully run by private and missionary organizations. Students from these schools sat for the respective overseas examinations set by the board of school committees and associations. For instance, Overseas Cambridge School Certificate (OSC) was set for English schools. Under the former Prime Minister's order, he drafted the KBSM syllabus in order to make Malay a compulsory subject to be taught in all subjects in these schools. Overseas examinations were subsequently abolished one after another throughout the years. Schools which converted to the national type received heavy funding from the government. Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) and Sijil Rendah Pelajaran (SRP) were fully introduced as national examinations.
In order to cater for the lower income indigenous population, boarding schools were promoted and constructed. Through government scholarships, tens of thousands of students were sent yearly to universities in the United States], United Kingdom, and Australia—western-type countries that Mahathir aspired to achieve par development with. Middle- and higher-income groups from non-Bumiputera Malaysians who were unable to get a place in the local universities, due to the restrictive quota system and limited government scholarships, also independently sent their children to these universities. This has led Malaysia to have the third largest number of students going to western-type countries to pursue higher education, after China and India.
In 1980, education quota was introduced as part of the National Economic Policy. Mahathir who became the acting prime minister, introduced the quota system to all economic sectors in Malaysia including the education system, whereby a designated percentage of undergraduate seats of higher institutions were reserved for Bumiputra (natives) citizens.
Towards his later years, Mahathir promoted the liberalization of university start-ups, leading to branch campuses being built or the formation of permanent tie-ups with some of the most prestigious universities in the world. Amongst others, these led to the construction of the University of Nottingham in Malaysia (in partnership with the University of Nottingham, U.K.), Malaysia University of Science and Technology (M.U.S.T.), in partnership with M.I.T. (U.S.) and Motorola) , Monash University Malaysia (in partnership with Monash University, Australia) and Curtin University of Technology, Sarawak Campus (in partnership with Curtin University of Technology, Australia)
Private companies with a long running history in Malaysia like Intel and AMD were also encouraged to set up, and run partnerships and/or higher education centres and centres of excellence.
In the year before his retirement, he announced that Mathematics and Science subjects must be taught in English in all primary and secondary schools with aim to increase competitiveness of Malaysian students.

Foreign relations
During Mahathir's tenure in office, Malaysia's relationship with the West was generally fine despite being known to be an outspoken critic towards them. Early during his tenure, a small disagreement with the United Kingdom over university tuition fees sparked off a boycott of all British goods led by Mahathir, in what became known as the "Buy British Last" campaign. It also led to a search for development models in Asia, most notably Japan. This was the beginning of his famous "Look East Policy". Although the dispute was later resolved by Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, Mahathir continued to emphasize Asian development models over contemporary Western ones.

Retirement
In 2002 a tearful Mahathir announced his resignation to a surprised UMNO General Assembly. He was persuaded to stay on for a further eighteen months, in a carefully planned handover that ended in October 2003. On his retirement, he was granted Malaysia's highest honour, which entitles him to the title Tun from his original Datuk Seri. Since retirement, he has been serving as an advisor to the Malaysian national oil company Petronas and the Malaysian national car company Proton, an original core national project initiated by Mahathir during his premiership. He is also the head of the Perdana Leadership Foundation, a foundation whose aim is to preserve, develop and spread materials regarding or written by previous Malaysian Prime Ministers. While he has retired from all political offices, he remains very outspoken regarding national policies.

Mahathir has also ventured into a bakery business with a Japanese partner. Together they established a Japanese-style bakery and bistro outlet called "The Loaf". As of October 2007, there are two outlets in Malaysia, one in Langkawi and one in Kuala Lumpur. They are planning expand their business into other coutries in Southeast Asia.

Other controversies
Former Malaysia Airlines chief executive officer, Tajudin Ramli claimed that he (Tajudin) was "forced" to buy out the shares of Malaysia Airlines by Mahathir during a period when the national carrier suffered financial difficulties. However, Mahathir denied this claim and said that he only asked if Tajudin was interested in the shares.
In 2006 he had a 2-hour talk with James W. Walter and William Rodriguez with regards to the US Government involvement in the 9/11 attacks.
On January 17, 2008, Mahathir was brought before a Royal Commission that is looking into alleged manipulation of top judicial appointments during his admnistration, a scandal that has cast doubts about the independence of Malaysia's judiciary. He was made to testify before a government inquiry into a secretly recorded video clip that showed a man believed to be a prominent lawyer, V.K. Lingam, boasting that he could get key judicial appointments made with Mahathir's help. Throughout the inquiry Mahathir feign ignorance and forgot key timelines.He urged the world's 1.3 billion Muslims to boycott Dutch products following the release of the anti-Islam movie Fitna by the Dutch politician Geert Wilders, it was reported on March 30, 2008.

Legacy
For his efforts to promote the economic development of the country, Mahathir has been granted the soubriquet of Bapa Pemodenan (Father of Modernisation).
Since his resignation, there are signs that his influence is on the wane, notably the cancellation of a Mahathir-approved double tracking rail project on grounds of cost.
Mahathir's official residence, Sri Perdana, where he resided from 23 August 1983 to 18 October 1999, was turned into a museum (Galeria Sri Perdana). In keeping with the principle of heritage conservation, the original design and layout of the Sri Perdana has been preserved.

External links
BBC News: Malaysia defends speech on Jews
Mahathir hospitalised after heart attack
BBC Profile: Mahathir Mohamad
Turkish Daily News, from Mahathir's final days in office
Islam the Misunderstood Religion by Dr. Mahathir Mohamad
Perdana Leadership Foundation website on Malaysia’s past Prime Ministers.
BBC News: Mahathir in his own words
BBC News: In Pictures: Mahathir steps down
Asiaweek: Al Gore's rebuke of APEC host Mahathir
Text of Dr Mahathir's speech to the OIC on Oct 16, 2003
Dr M slams Pak Lah but BN leaders rally behind the PM
Dr Mahathir uses YouTube to speak out about the dangers of war