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Free Malaysia Today
3 days ago
- Health
- Free Malaysia Today
Extreme sports? These senior fitness enthusiasts say ‘bring it on!'
(From left) Pahang exco Fadzli Mohamad Kamal with champions Wan Mohammad Zaidi Wan Isa, Abdul Walid Abu Hassan, and Yahaya Tahir at the King of Sungai Lembing run in Kuantan last month. (Bernama pic) KUANTAN : Three friends completed a 10km run at an event in Sungai Lembing here last month – a feat made more impressive by the fact that they are senior citizens. Fitness enthusiasts Wan Mohammad Zaidi Wan Isa, 60, Abdul Walid Abu Hassan, 62, and Yahaya Tahir, 59, emerged champions in the veteran men's category. They proved age is just a number by completing the run in under an hour and 34 minutes. In February, the trio also competed in an extreme-sports event held in Raub, Pahang. Participants, grouped in teams of 10, were challenged to run over 10km while carrying a 5kg load. Set in a forested area, the course included crossing a river and hilly terrain. They went on to win first place in the VIP category. Zaidi, who retired as director of Pahang's fire and rescue department earlier this year, said he took part in the event to challenge himself and to stay well. 'We also managed to conquer Mount Kinabalu in April … but we're not doing all this just to win: it's about staying healthy and active, with a positive outlook. 'When participating in activities like these, a person needs mental strength and must remain positive to overcome challenges,' he told Bernama. The father of three and grandfather of seven said his passion for sports is also driven by his desire to inspire his 29-year-old son, who is battling colon cancer. Abdul Walid, meanwhile, said his daily schedule is not only packed with official duties but also fitness activities. The demands of his job, he explained, require him to remain healthy and energetic. 'I've been passionate about sports since secondary school until now. Every day I make sure to exercise. At the very least, I walk 3km. 'I also take stingless bee honey every morning to stay fit,' said the Pahang syarie chief judge, who has six children and six grandchildren. For Yahya, a senior officer in the state education department, participating in sports is more than just a hobby – he considers it a 'weapon' to keep illnesses away. As he turns 60 in January, he said living a healthy lifestyle has become his priority. 'The older you get, the more you need to take care of yourself. So, this is among my efforts to ensure my health remains in good condition. 'I hope to stay active even after retirement,' he added.
Washington Post
29-05-2025
- General
- Washington Post
Biden's decline was covered up. Here are ways to prevent a repeat.
I am 85. Fortunately, I am in good health, but I am not the person I was at 70. Much to my dismay, I feel the decline in my physical and mental capacities accelerating with each passing year. Just as there is a minimum age requirement for the presidency, there should be an upper age limit. I favor 70 or younger.
Forbes
28-05-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Social Security Isn't Headed Toward Insolvency, Not Now And Not Later
PHILADELPHIA - FEBRUARY 11: Blank Social Security checks are run through a printer at the U.S. ... More Treasury printing facility February 11, 2005 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As U.S. President George W. Bush travels the country to stump for his plan to change the Social Security system, opposition continues from some members of Congress and senior citizen groups concerned that the proposal would erode guarantees to the federal retirement program. (Photo by William) Social Security is not going insolvent. Not now, and not in ten years. Write it down and do so confidently. The surest sign insolvency in no way looms in Social Security's present or future can be found in the certainty that there's no 'lock box' and there never was one. The paradoxical truth is that the lack of funds stashed away for future retirees is the surest sign that their Social Security payments are secure now and forever. Please read on. What's apparent from an 'empty' lock box is that any excess Social Security collections from individuals and their employers was transferred to general revenues and spent by Congress. Well, of course it was. Politicians exist to spend, and Congress arrogated to itself what was left over after existing Social Security recipients were paid. Looking ahead, precisely because excess Social Security collections were spent by Congress, the reverse will reveal itself. What Social Security doesn't collect, but that's required to pay the meager benefits provided by the faux forced savings program, will be made up for by Congress through general revenues, borrowing, and almost certainly both. So-called 'insolvency' solved. With ease. To which some will respond that the rising national debt imperils the rosy scenario described above. Nonsense. Without defending the massive tax that is government spending or borrowing for even a second, the surest sign that there's no looming payments crisis related to the national debt is all the debt. Get it? As I note in my soon-to-be-released book The Deficit Delusion, there is nothing more ruthless than money. That's why it's so difficult to attain for most of us, but easy for the federal government. Why the contrast? Because the federal government has taxable access to way too much of the earnings of the most productive people on earth, the American people. In other words, the looming crisis isn't the 'national debt,' nor the laugh line about looming Social Security insolvency, rather its long been with us in the routine over taxation of the American people. What takes in lots of revenue can borrow in enormous amounts. In other words, our federal government has run up staggering amounts of debt not because it has taxed us too little for decades, but because it's taxed us way too much such that the world trusts Treasury income streams more than any other income stream in the world. Worse, there's no evidence in the markets even now that investors think the over taxation of Americans will stop now, in five, ten, or even thirty years. See yields on U.S. Treasuries. No doubt they're up a little right now, but in a historical sense they remain very low. Which is a sign of long-term market confidence that Treasury's intake isn't imperiled now, or in the future. Confidence about the present and future streams of dollar income that Treasuries embody tells the Social Security story quite well. Without defending the federal government's savings program for even a second, it's fine now and always will be fine exactly because Treasury owns far too much of the earnings of the American people. Which means the alarmists who've always been wrong about Social Security's 'insolvency' will maintain that status well into the future.
Malay Mail
26-05-2025
- Health
- Malay Mail
Health minister: Tdap vaccine now available free for pregnant women at MOH facilities
PUTRAJAYA, May 26 — The Tdap vaccine (for tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis) is being offered free of charge to pregnant women between 28 and 32 weeks of gestation from today, said Minister of Health Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad. He added that the Tdap vaccination is being offered at all Ministry of Health (MOH) primary health facilities that provide maternal health services nationwide. 'This vaccine is aimed at providing early protection to newborns, who are susceptible to complications from pertussis (whooping cough) before completing the vaccination schedule. 'International studies have also shown that this vaccine is safe and effective, without increasing any risks to the mother or baby,' he said at the National-Level Immunisation Day celebration held here today. He said although the MOH does not make it compulsory for pregnant women to take the Tdap vaccine, they are, however, strongly encouraged to do so. He said that in addition to the vaccine for pregnant women, which is an initiative under its lifelong immunisation strategy, the MOH had also launched the Influenza Immunisation Programme for Senior Citizens on Feb 18 by targeting those aged 60 and above with at least one listed chronic illness. Dzulkefly said that as of yesterday, a total of 97,355 senior citizens had received the influenza vaccine at MOH facilities. Meanwhile, he said that the national immunisation policy is regularly reviewed based on scientific evidence and international guidelines and, as such, emphasised that all vaccines used in Malaysia have undergone rigorous efficacy and safety assessments by the National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency (NPRA) and are continuously monitored by the MOH. 'There is a growing concern regarding the false dissemination of fake news and information and this undermines public confidence. I understand that some parents are still unsure. 'I urge everyone to always refer to official sources because our decision today will affect the health of future generations,' he said. — Bernama
CNN
17-05-2025
- Business
- CNN
Social Security drops controversial anti-fraud review amid growing claims backlog
A month after instituting a controversial anti-fraud policy that sparked widespread concern among senior citizens, the Social Security Administration has quietly dropped a key piece of the measure. The agency will no longer hold retirement benefit applications for three days to check for fraud, according to an email sent to workers and reviewed by CNN. The decision comes as the backlog in retirement benefit claims has swelled to nearly 575,000 applications, and employees, whose ranks have thinned from downsizing efforts, are being encouraged to work harder to process those claims. Pushed by Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency, the anti-fraud policy was revised several times before being implemented amid an outcry from advocates for senior citizens and people with disabilities. Originally, the agency wanted to bar applicants from filing for benefits over the telephone, arguing that it could not do sufficient identity verification. Instead, people would have had to confirm their identities through their online 'my Social Security' account or visit a field office to complete the claim in person. Advocates feared that the policy would make it harder for many folks to file for claims, particularly if they are not computer-savvy or live far from the agency's offices. The policy change, along with a related one ending beneficiaries' ability to update their direct deposit information over the phone, prompted senior citizens and people with disabilities to flood the agency's phone lines and field offices with concerns. Many thought they had to prove their identities to continue receiving payments or had questions about the new procedures. Less than two weeks later, Social Security announced that the anti-fraud policy would only apply to those filing for retirement, survivors or family benefits over the phone, and its rollout would be delayed by two weeks to April 14. The phone claims would be subject to a fraud review, and if irregularities were detected, applicants would have to go to a field office to prove their identity. Asked about the latest change in policy, a Social Security spokesperson said the agency 'continues to refine the anti-fraud algorithm to flag only the claims with the highest probability of fraud. Continuous improvements will ensure timely processing of claims while protecting beneficiaries from fraud.' However, the review process only found two cases – out of more than 110,000 claims – that had a high probability of being fraudulent, according to an internal document obtained by Nextgov/FCW, which covers technology in federal agencies. Fewer than 1% of claims were flagged as potentially fraudulent. What's more, the anti-fraud checks delayed the processing of retirement claims by 25% and led to worse customer service, according to the May document. 'It created a problem in customer service where one didn't exist, and it didn't do anything to prevent fraud,' said Kathleen Romig, director of Social Security and disability policy at the left-leaning Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, who worked at the agency during the Biden administration. As of mid-May, Social Security had nearly 575,000 pending retirement claims, with about 140,000 of them languishing for at least 60 days, according to an email from Stephen Evangelista, Social Security's deputy commissioner for operations, that was sent to employees and viewed by CNN. He noted that the agency is receiving a record number of claims this year for several reasons, including the peak wave of Baby Boomers hitting retirement age and a law passed by Congress that beefed up Social Security benefits for nearly 3 million federal, state and local workers. The backlog began increasing swiftly last fall, shooting up from fewer than 350,000 pending claims in September to nearly 600,000 pending claims in April, according to Social Security data posted online. Evangelista urged workers in the field offices and another unit to 'do their very best' to increase the number of retirement claims they clear every day by at least 10% for the rest of May. 'I am calling for a sprint – a focused, concerted effort in all offices beginning today and lasting through the end of May – to address this growing backlog of pending retirement and survivor claims,' he wrote. The missive did not go over well with many employees, said Joel Smith, president of the American Federation of Government Employees Local 3184, which represents workers in nearly 100 agency offices across the South and Southwest. Social Security is in the midst of culling about 7,000 workers, or roughly 12%, from its staff – offering two rounds of deferred resignation offers, as well as other buyout and early retirement incentives. Multiple field offices have lost sizeable shares of their staff. And while the agency is reassigning about 1,000 employees from headquarters and regional offices to work in field offices and other mission-critical units, it will take time to train them. 'Employees find it to be another sign of disrespect from an out-of-touch agency leadership,' Smith said of the directive. Workers 'weren't looking for another demotivational email from an agency leadership that cut their telework, encouraged them to quit and created an unnecessary backlog.'
