New and Old Websites

I started the Kairos Spiritual Formation website in 2006, starting from a scratch using Microsoft FrontPage and a couple of website building guide books. It was an exciting challenge for me to learn programming language and website design. That is almost 10 years ago.

I have been continuing updating the website on a weekly basis, adding all my writings, reflections and other stuff. In these years, website designs and language has changed tremendously. Microsoft Frontpage has been discontinued by Microsoft when better and more user friendly website builders became available. Many nowadays do not require the knowledge of any language.

I find my Kairos Spiritual Formation website very useful. Though it has an aged look to it, it still serves me well as a resource and hopefully to others out there. The original purpose of this website is to serve as a free resource on spiritual formation, spiritual direction, engaging culture, spiritual nurture and other areas I am interested and is researching in.

I have considered updating it but the website has ballooned to about 9,800 files! I once consulted a website designer to upgrade the website but the poor guy turned pale and ran out of the room. I guess it will not be easy to upgrade such a large website. Since it is difficult to upgrade, I have decided to maintain it as long as possible. Microsoft has since stopped servicing and updating its Frontpage.

I am still keen to have a fresh look. I cannot do anything more to my present Kairos Spiritual Formation landing page (front page). I have twitched the software so much that I fear it will just die on me. So I decided to start another website which will link to my Kairos Spiritual Formation website. This new website will have all the frills and bells of  new website designs. It also gives me the opportunity to update my skills on website designs. So here it is, Alex Tang, Seeing God in all things www.alextang.org

I know the title is a bit Kuyperian and Ignatian. Will I be transferring all my files to this new website? I am not too sure I want to do that for two reasons. One is that it will involve a lot of work and time to manually transfer the files. I know there are programs to do that but so far these program do a reasonable transfer but often mess up the files. The second reason is that I am afraid that by the time I have finished updating the new website, a new generation of website will have arrived with more bells and frills. I know how that feels. I still have old cartridge tapes, LD, VCD, DVD, HDVDV and now Bluray of the same movies!

Do come and visit my new website at www.alextang.org while my old website www.kairos2.com is still open for business. Shalom and welcome.

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An Inconvenient Truth

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I have always being skeptical of the science behind the claims of global warning and the way it has become a movement to supposedly save the earth.

Writing in First Things, The Truth about Greenhouse Gases: The dubious science of greenhouse crusaders, William Happer, Cyrus Fogg Brackett Professor of Physics at Princeton University comments,

The existence of the little ice age and the medieval warm period were an embarrassment to the global-warming establishment, because they showed that the current warming is almost indistinguishable from previous warmings and coolings that had nothing to do with burning fossil fuel. The organization charged with producing scientific support for the climate change crusade, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), finally found a solution. They rewrote the climate history of the past 1000 years with the celebrated “hockey stick” temperature record...

Let me summarize how the key issues appear to me, a working scientist with a better background than most in the physics of climate. CO2 really is a greenhouse gas and other things being equal, adding the gas to the atmosphere by burning coal, oil, and natural gas will modestly increase the surface temperature of the earth. Other things being equal, doubling the CO2 concentration, from our current 390 ppm to 780 ppm will directly cause about 1 degree Celsius in warming. At the current rate of CO2 increase in the atmosphere—about 2 ppm per year—it would take about 195 years to achieve this doubling. The combination of a slightly warmer earth and more CO2 will greatly increase the production of food, wood, fiber, and other products by green plants, so the increase will be good for the planet, and will easily outweigh any negative effects. Supposed calamities like the accelerated rise of sea level, ocean acidification, more extreme climate, tropical diseases near the poles, and so on are greatly exaggerated.

“Mitigation” and control efforts that have been proposed will enrich a favored few with good political ties—at the expense of the great majority of mankind, including especially the poor and the citizens of developing nations. These efforts will make almost no change in earth’s temperature. Spain’s recent experiment with green energy destroyed several pre-existing jobs for every green job it created, and it nearly brought the country to bankruptcy.

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What do you think? Worth reading the article again.

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The Moral Dimension of Technology

I enjoyed the way this article is written and the insights it contains.

The Moral Dimension of Technology

by Kevin Kelly

What technology brings to us individually is the possibility of finding out who we are, and more important, who we might be. During his or her lifetime, each person acquires a unique combination of latent abilities, handy skills, nascent insights, and potential experiences that no one else shares. Even twins—who share common DNA—don’t share the same life. When people maximize their set of talents, they shine because no one can do what they do. People fully inhabiting their unique mixture of skills are inimitable, and that is what we prize about them. Talent unleashed doesn’t mean that everyone will sing on Broadway or play in the Olympics or win a Nobel Prize. Those high-profile roles are merely three well-worn ways of being a star, and by deliberate design those particular opportunities are limited. Popular culture wrongly fixates on proven star roles as the destiny of anyone successful. In fact, those positions of prominence and stardom can be prisons, straitjackets defined by how someone else excelled.
Ideally, we would find a position of excellence tailored specifically for everyone born. We don’t normally think of opportunities this way, but these tools for achievement are called “technology.” The technology of vibrating strings opened up (created) the potential for a virtuoso violin player. The technology of oil paint and canvas unleashed the talents of painters through the centuries. The technology of film created cinematic talents. The soft technologies of writing, lawmaking, and mathematics all expanded our potential to create and do good. Thus in the course of our lives as we invent things and create new works that others may build on, we—as friends, family, clan, nation, and society— have a direct role in enabling each person to optimize their talents—not in the sense of being famous but in the sense of being unequaled in his or her unique contribution.

However, if we fail to enlarge the possibilities for other people, we diminish them, and that is unforgivable. Enlarging the scope of creativity for others, then, is an obligation. We enlarge others by enlarging the possibilities of the technium— the greater ecosystem of technology – by developing more technology and more convivial expressions of it.

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Johor Bahru Churches Collaborate on Community Project

This article was published in the September/October 2010 issues of the National Evangelical Council Fellowship (NECF) newsletter.

JB Churches Collaborate on Community Project Most churches prefer to carry out community projects on their own than to collaborate with other churches as it is easier to coordinate the work. So, when news got around that Johor Baru churches have come together to do a joint community project, it raised more than a few eyebrows. Called CRS, or Crisis Relief Store, the project has the participation of several churches whose pastors are members of the Johor Baru Pastors' Fellowship (JBPF). Pr Sonny, JPPF spokesman, tells Berita NECF what the ministry is about. Tell us about CRS The store was set up as a collection centre for goods, such as clothing, electrical goods and foodstuff that are required in times of need. We mooted this idea when we conducted two rounds of "HELPING HANDS", first to help the Karen Refugees in North East Thailand, and then to communities in and around Johor Baru (such as the poor or less privileged), NGOs who are involved in running social homes (such as orphanages, old folks' homes and homes for the "orang kurang upaya" or physically disabled). We received all kinds of goods from people and we realised that we can do this on a more organised basis to respond to disasters which are beset-ting many countries. We envision that in peace times, churches which are already helping the poor in the community can have access to this store to requisite goods for the needy. In times of crisis, CRS store will be the first to be emptied to send relief supplies to the affected area. CRS is started by the JB Pastors' Fellowship. How did you manage to come together to do a joint project? Some pastors in the fellowship were already active in this particular area and we decided to come together to go forth from another platform - that of partnership and networking. Over the years of fellowshiping in JBPF, our relationship has become strong enough for us to come together. Remember an old song called "Pass It On?" The first line says, ""It only takes a spark to get the fire going." We are just the spark in the hands of God who will get this fire of the church reaching out to the community going. What are the benefits of churches working together on a project compared with a church doing it alone, as in the case of CRS? There's a verse in the Bible which says, "If one of us can put a thousand to flight, two can put ten thousand..." This is God's multiplier effect. We believe strongly that this will be the impetus to reach the community in a more effective way.

The Call to Be

Jeremiah - The Call to Be

Text: Jer. 1:1-19

Sermon Statement

Jeremiah is called to be a prophet to the nations and God empowers him to be one in the face of oppositions and suffering. We are called to be the people of God and we are empowered to be that people in the face of oppositions and suffering.

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Pastoral Concern for Migrant Communities

The latest from Thinking Faith...


A ministry of welcome
Why does our faith demand of us a pastoral concern for migrant communities? Bishop Pat Lynch introduces the principles of Catholic Social Teaching in which the Church’s mission to migrants is grounded. As we mark the World Day of Migrants and Refugees on 17 January, we are encouraged to welcome and accompany migrants as our brothers and sisters.
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Gaza Conflicts and Conversations

The latest from Thinking Faith...


The Gaza Conflict
Professor Paul Rogers analyses the international and historical context of the current conflict in Gaza, a tragic situation which may finally make clear the fact that prolonged use of extreme force will not achieve security for the region. Read >>

http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/20090113_2.htm


Gaza conversations
News of the conflict in Gaza prompted Ben Coleridge to reflect on the time he spent in Israel and Palestine last year, and on his encounters with people whose daily lives are affected by the troubles in the region. Why are conversations about the issues so difficult, and how might they lead to resolution? Read >>

http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/20090113_1.htm

Does the Free Market Corrode Moral Character?

Some of the responses of the speakers are interesting. My gut instinct is that it does.

As economic indicators continue to nosedive, debate over the free market continues apace. On Dec. 3 the John Templeton Foundation hosted a forum in London to address the issue.

A group of economists and commentators gathered to debate the topic: "Does the Free Market Corrode Moral Character?"

Michael Walzer, retired professor in the School of Social Science at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey, argued that free market competition forces people to break the rules of decent conduct. Attempting to justify this behavior leads to self-deception that corrodes moral character, he said.

Competition is not, however, only a negative force, Walzer added. Cooperation in economic enterprises produces mutual respect, friendship and solidarity, and people learn how to take risks and forge alliances.

Walzer proposed limitations on economic power and markets so as to reduce the corrosion due to market forces.

Kay S. Hymowitz, the William E. Simon Fellow at the Manhattan Institute, also warned against the negative effects of the free market on morality. The modern market economy introduces many novelties that undermine established cultural and moral traditions, she argued.

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Dr Amar Singh and the "New Autism"

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My friend, Dr Amar Singh has stirred up a hornet's nest of controversies in this article in New Straits Time especially among people who are working "classical autistic" children or have one.

Before you start throwing stones, please note the following:

(1) This is not a scientific paper based on evidence-based medicine. This is a reflection by a concerned paediatrician on the state of parenting in a segment of population of Malaysian society at this moment,

(2) You must understand the genre of the article. Dr Amar is using a metaphor to bring across his message. In actual fact, he is not writing about autism at all but parenting.

(3) This is a call for many of us busy people with young children to re-examine our priorities in child-rearing. Your child do not ask to be born. Parents make the decisions to have children. Therefore parents must also be ready to bear the responsibility to take care of their children, especially in their formative years.

I laud Dr Amar Singh's concern and courage to speak out about the sorry state of parenting in our society today especially in the well educated affluence middle class. Read on...

Community: Emergence of the 'new autism' epidemic
By Dr Amar Singh

2008/04/26

DR AMAR SINGH, a consultant community paediatrician who has treated a few hundred autistic children in the last 20 years, believes there is a new autism epidemic sweeping across Malaysia. IN the past 20 years, most countries - developed or developing - have seen an explosion in autism cases.

Many of us who were quoting rates of three to four cases in every 10,000 children, have had to revise them to one case in every 1,000.

The figure went up further in recent years to become one in every 100 children.

This increase, as most of us in the medical fraternity have recognised, is not merely due to an increase in the recognition of the condition, or an increase in diagnostic ability to identify children who may have a milder variety of the autistic spectrum disorder.

Rather, it's due to an actual increase in the rate of the condition.

In addition to the vast increase in numbers, the "face" of autism has also been changing, especially in the past 10-15 years.

More than 20 years ago, we saw cases of what we term "classical autism". For purposes of comparison, I refer to this as the "Old Fashioned Rain-Man-Dustin-Hoffman Autism" - a description that many parents can easily identify with, which is the more severe autism.

The clinical features are present early, even before the first year of life, but the child may only be seen by a healthcare professional around the ages of 2 to 4 - about the time when parents realise something is wrong.

The prognosis for long-term rehabilitation is usually not good for children diagnosed with the more severe forms of the condition.

But the "new autism" that has surfaced in the last decade or so has a different presentation and evolution compared to the "classical" one.

Some of the key epidemiological and socio-demographic features of the "new autism" are:

- Parents are predominantly from the upper or upper-middle class;

- Parents are often busy professionals;

- The child is often left with a baby-sitter and only picked up in the evenings or during weekends; and,

- Some have shown elements of emotional or social deprivation.

Among the cases of the "new autism", it is Chinese children who predominate, despite having no problems with access to facilities and necessities when compared with other ethnic groups or poorer sectors of society.

Their parents are often busy professionals and usually leave their child in some form of child care.

At times there is the "triangular family" - my phrase for a dad working overseas, while the mum works in another city and the child is left in the care of a grandparent.

Their parents tend to be those who focus on "quality time", rather than "quantity time".

These parents also tend to be those who come from an earlier generation of parents who did not put much emphasis on playing with, reading to or spending time with the children.

The child-minder or grandparent is usually the one looking after the child's physical needs, but this doesn't mean the child's emotional, intellectual or spiritual needs are met.

Culturally, some of these "new autism" children's parents tend to value health and wealth more than emotional well-being and, in some cases, have not been brought up to show affection in a visible manner.

Symptom of a de-compensating society

Reflecting on this growing problem with other professionals and parents, it is my view that this condition has varied origins, although the clinical symptoms are similar.

One possible reason is damage by external stressors on the child, either during the time in the womb or in the child's early days after birth.

The Sept 11 attacks, fears of an uncertain future, increasing struggles at work, fatigue - a pregnant mother can communicate these, albeit unintentionally, to the child in her womb or her newborn baby.

The child subconsciously (in the "spirit") perceives the world as a bad place to be and "withdraws from society". Hence, we can say these children are a symptom of a de-compensating society that has increasing fears and uncertainties.

In this sense, children are perhaps the most sensitive indicator of a society's well being.

Another possible reason for the onset of the "new autism" is that a child who has a minor developmental problem, either in speech or learning, is made worse because they are deprived emotionally, perhaps by parents busy trying to make a future for their children and struggling for time in the current competitive world.

They can also be deprived socially to some degree because family units have grown smaller as most parents opt to have only one or two children.

Coupled with a decrease in neighbourhood social interaction and the increased use of personalised child care, the child's socialising is limited.

However, the hypotheses suggested here will not be true of every child or parent. Neither are they true of "classical autism".

They are merely offered for reflection while we search hard for an environmental toxin or whatever organic cause for the explosion of autism that we see in our young today. They are also expressed here with a view to identify prevention or severity reduction strategies.

More common in boys

There are far more boys being born with this "new autism" than girls. A child with the "new autism" disorder is often the only child or the only other child to the parents.

The child usually has a fairly normal development for the first 12 months, including the social relationship with parents.

He or she may even have developed some spoken words with meaning between 12 and 18 months but, later, there occurs a sudden "loss" of recently acquired communication abilities.

There is usually significant social impairment as well. The childhood has been rather restricted in terms of social interaction, especially with other children and at times even with adults.

An extreme example is a child who spends almost all his time with his grandmother watching TV serials and seldom leaves the house or meets other children.

There is no neurological abnormality in the vast majority of these children. Many are clinically bright children.

With speech and language therapy, adequate socialisation with children in a normal nursery, and greater interest and involvement by parents, the child can do very well and often shows significant improvements.

Many are able to enter normal mainstream education although they still require some support and understanding from the teacher.

Suggestions to prevent "new autism"

Parents need to be made aware of the importance of the child's spiritual and emotional needs, as early as from the womb.

Much time and energy is spent on ensuring the physical health of the child but little on the fact that the child is listening and responding to our state of mind and emotion.

This does not just place the burden of responsibility on mothers but fathers and society as well.

We need to re-discover our own hope, emotional and spiritual well being, for us to be able to communicate it truly to our children.

Parents need to be educated on the importance of spending "quantity time" with children and be responsive and relational in play. This may require an adjustment in work or expectations for financial wealth - a voluntary "downsizing".

Child minders also require formal instruction on the value of play and social interaction in the up bringing of a child.

There is a need to institute a formal developmental screen at the age of 2 to identify those with features of autism.

This is already in place in many developed countries and the Ministry of Health is also planning to put in place this formal development screening in Malaysia.

This article is not meant to be a scientific discussion, but rather a personal reflection. Despite that, it is hoped that the reflections and observations, made over a period of more than 20 years in hundreds of children with autism, may be of benefit to children and parents.

Perhaps the truth about the "New Autism" can be best illustrated by quoting the secret that Fox told the Little Prince (in the book The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery):

"It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."

Love is the key in preventing and healing our children with autism.

Suggestions to Prevent or Reduce the Severity of the ‘New Autism’

• Educate parents on importance of in-utero child’s spiritual and emotional needs

• Educate parents on the need to spend time with their children

• Child minders require instruction on the value of play

• Need for formal developmental screening at 18 months to 2 years to identify autism

Dr Amar Singh is head of the Paediatric Department at Ipoh Hospital and is actively involved in providing and developing services for children with disabilities and their parents.
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© Copyright 2008 The New Straits Times Press (M) Berhad. All rights reserved.

The Embryology Bill in the United Kingdom

The Embryology Bill: What is at stake?
by Agneta Sutton

Expected to have its Second Reading in the House of Commons in May, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill has already been the focus of controversy, with media attention given to the interventions of Church leaders and the call for the government to allow a free vote. But what does the Bill actually propose? Agneta Sutton examines some of the most contentious measures and the ethical issues they raise.

The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill, currently on its way through Parliament, contains a number of controversial proposals. Four of them in particular will be the subject of heated debate: the proposal to legalise the creation of human-animal embryos for research; the proposal to allow lesbian couples to have IVF and be registered as parents of the child; the proposal to give legal sanction to the creation of so-called saviour siblings; and the proposal to allow the use of a technique similar to that of cloning to avoid mother-to-child transmission of mitochondrial disease. There is also a debate about whether the time-limit for abortion ought to be lowered.

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If passed, this Bill will have major ramifications throughout the world. What do you think?

Photo by Enrique T at flickr.com