Be Morally-Correct

The Chinese culture has been deeply influenced by Confucius, a great Chinese teacher and educator. His influence extends throughout the world even today. Confucius believed that moral principles, virtues and discipline should be the very first lessons taught to a child, and that children need to practice them daily. Unlike modern-day parents who disapprove of physical punishment, ancient Chinese parents actually encouraged and thanked the teacher when their children were punished for misbehaving. It was most important to the ancient Chinese parents that their children learned moral principles and virtues first - before any other subjects, because without these as a foundation, the learning of all other subjects would be futile. In ancient China, the purpose of going to school and studying was to prepare for becoming saints and sages, not to pave the way for fame or profit-making.

Even though they seem stringent by today's standards, it is apparent that the people of that time felt it was important that the child should be well-disciplined and taught moral principles and virtues when still very young. They felt that without strict discipline and moral standards, a child would amount to nothing. Not knowing what it meant to be dutiful to parents and respectful to teachers, a child would grow up not listening to or respecting anyone. Ironically today, many parents listen to the child instead of the other way round. Additionally, teachers are afraid to teach and discipline children because they are fearful of violating the children's legal rights and of being sued by parents.

Currently, we live in a tumultuous world where the relationships among people; between people and their government; parents and children; husbands and wives; employers and employees - are disintegrating. Parents do not act like parents and children do not act like children anymore. Our minds are polluted and our family system is disintegrating, as evidenced by an ever-increasing divorce rate. Soon the planet Earth will no longer be fit for us to live on. We are fearful of our futures and the futures of our children.

Therefore, it is fervently hoped that each and every one of us would embrace all good moral principles, virtues and be disciplined, so that our future generations will benefit from it, and society at large and our world will be at peace and be a better place to live on, come rain or shine! CIAO!

Conned At ATM

The Star paper today reported that a group using new tactic involving teamwork and trickery to fool and swap victims' ATM cards. Read the full story below.

Con artists are now using a new tactic to rob people at auto-teller machines (ATM) by swapping ATM cards. Acting with accomplices, including women, they would distract and confuse their victim while the person is in the midst of a transaction and by sleight of hand, would swap his or her ATM card. One of them would memorise the victim's personal identification number while they were being punched at the start of the transaction.

The latest incident occurred on Tuesday night when credit card agent See Teck Chuan was robbed of RM5,000 at the Seri Gombak Maybank ATM machines. He said he saw three Middle Eastern-looking people, including a woman, in the bank.

"I went to the second machine while the woman, who was clad in an abaya (long gown usually worn by Arab women), went to the one next to mine. A very tall man stood behind me. In the midst of my transaction, the woman suddenly called out to me in a foreign language and signalled for me to pick up some bank notes on the floor," he said.

See said he told her that the money was not his but she kept gesturing for him to pick up the notes. He did so after she pointed to her back, as if trying to indicate that she had back pain.

"She still appeared dissatisfied and kept talking with me facing her the whole time," he said.

See claimed that the woman then left in a huff together with the tall man behind him without taking the money. Before he could proceed with his transaction, the third man still in the bank 'scolded' him for keeping the money.

"As he appeared very angry, I decided to place the money back on the floor. Then, I continued with my transaction but it failed. I ejected my card and inserted it again and was surprised to see the name that appeared on the screen as someone else's. I then realised that I had been tricked, but it was too late as all three foreigners had left," he told reporters at the MCA Public Services and Complaints Department yesterday.

See said he immediately called the bank to have his account frozen but was asked a series of questions instead.

"Precious minutes were wasted and by the time I got my account frozen, my money was already gone," he said.

By ZALINAH NOORDIN

newsdesk@thestar.com.my

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By Admin:

Always practise the 3As whenever you're at an ATM. ALERT; AWARE; ANTICIPATE.

Always stay Alert and be Aware of your surroundings and Anticipate actions of those around you, come rain or shine! Better be safe than sorry. CIAO!

Love Conquers Hatred

Let's not live in this world of hate

where humanity begins to disintegrate

Of untold miseries we lamentably create

declaring wars to subjugate weaker states

O why should we eliminate and annihilate

our own fellow brothers and sisters at whatever rate?

Remember true life is not to discriminate

lest it leads us all to dire straits

Colour bars should we truly eradicate

as each of us must learn to share and tolerate

So if we want real peace to perpetuate

loving-kindness and mindfulness must we cultivate

For when the bond of mankind begins to deteriorate

blame it not on the unkind twist of fate!

Just For Fun