ANOTHER young life lost. How cruel and barbaric can one be? The killing of five-year-old Nurul Nadirah, and taking into consideration similar cases in the past, begs the question what has gone wrong with our society.

The disappearance of children like Shalinie Mohd Nashar and Nisha Chandra Mohan as well as the tragic killing of Nurin Jazimin come very much to mind when the subject of child safety is discussed.

GET a successful by controlling your time and use smart study techniques that don’t waste your precious time.  Look at the following 5 easy steps to become a more effective student:

1. Prioritize your week – Make a calendar that blocks off each hour of the week. Figure out what time is already committed to your day-to-day responsibilities and cross out those hours on your calendar. Highlight the open hours of your day, label test and assignment dates, and chart out available time into 2 hour blocks whenever possible.

THERE are so many things that can cause stress in life that people are looking for ways to help them relax. Involving yourself in gardening is wonderful therapy to reduce your stress levels. Gardening is an enjoyable activity that can excite your senses.

DESPITE all that has been written about leadership, the question still remains: What does it take to be an effective academic leader?

At the risk of being redundant, and with apologies to David Letterman, here are the top 10 characteristics that I have found to positively contribute to effective leadership.

Number 10: Follow procedures and adhere to policies. Effective leaders are essentially good followers. They know it is not a good idea to behave as a lone wolf, but that they must instead keep their work priorities aligned with the organization’s goal and have an appropriate sense of self-importance.