BFM :: The Bigger Picture

Sleep problems range from and are not limited to insomnia, snoring, and loss of libido. They can affect the quality of life of an individual, the bed partner and the family unit as a whole. US Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Dr Johnben Loy discusses these impacts with Registered Polysomnographic Technologist, Amy Ho.

Hear the stars of the past gather to talk about ‘how it was’ as they prepare for their collective concert, titled ‘Malam Bintang Nostalgia’. In this concert they--our two singer-guests together with Datin Paduka Julie Sudiro and Datuk Andre Goh--will fund-raise for the SEED Foundation. They share their thoughts on the changes in the local music industry. 

Public speaking. Networking events. Social gatherings. We’ve all been there and for many of us, the first few times might have been nerve wracking. Anyone can have a racing heart, sweaty palms, or fluttering stomach. Most of us are able to get through those moments but for some, the anxiety is crippling. Find out more about social anxiety disorder from Consultant Psychiatrists, Dr Philip George.

Amnesty International has long campaigned against the death penalty, citing its ultimate, irreversible and unduly harsh nature, which offers no room for rehabilitation or remorse for those sentenced.

While the death penalty appears to not be a more effective deterrent to crime than other punishments out there, it is still widely enforced. Joining me to discuss why the death penalty should be abolished is Shamini Darshni, the Executive Director of Amnesty International Malaysia.

William Shakespeare has an intimate connection with the law. In fact, more of his lines are devoted to discussing law than any other profession. Two thirds—more than 20—of Shakespeare’s plays have trial scenes. All 37 of Shakespeare’s plays—including the lesser-known “The Two Noble Kinsmen” and “Timon of Athens”—have been quoted by American courts, in over 800 judicial opinions. This week, on Afterwords, Uma - and special guest Professor Paul Raffield will be exploring this remarkable intersection between the bard and the law.

Show Notes:

i. For an overview of why lawyers love Shakespeare, check out this purposeful piece in The Economist. 

ii. The University of Chicago Law School's "Shakespeare and the Law" conference brought together thinkers from law, literature, and philosophy to investigate the legal dimensions of Shakespeare's plays. Check out the keynote address here. 

iii. For some advanced reading on the subject, check out the collection of essays that Professor Raffield edited here. The collection includes analyses of the juristic content of specific plays, such as: law and its subversion in Romeo and Juliet, Coriolanus and the Midland Rising of 1607, justice, care, and relationship in Measure for Measure, and Macbeth, terrorism, and equivocators.

Martial arts practice is often linked to violence. But more and more therapists are using martial arts as a form of psychological rehabilitation. Its reported benefits include reduced aggression. Sounds contradicting? Explore the therapeutic use of martial arts in mental health with occupational therapists and taekwondo instructors, Jouyin and Terfu Teoh.

Scarce parking places and traffic congestion are perennial issues in commercial areas around Petaling Jaya. But is building more parking spaces or road expansion the solution before public transport becomes a viable option? Bukit Gasing State Assemblyman Rajiv Rishyakaran gives us his take.

This week, on Invisible Cities, Uma takes you back to London. Because there’s just so much to see and do there. With Pepys and Conan Doyle, with Conrad and Orwell. You could take a saunter through its streets with Neil Gaiman and Ian McEwan and Zadie Smith. Or experience the diaspora, with the hundreds of Indian and Pakistani authors, the displaced Yanks, and Howard Jacobson’s Jews. This week, however, Uma want’s you to curl up with your favourite Dickens. London was, after all, his muse. Its vastness would inspire and challenge him, it would provide him with opportunity for both literature and adventure.

Show Notes:

i. For a virtual walk through the streets of of Dickens’ London, you should check out the Dickens Dark London app by The Museum of London. It is both an interactive graphic novel and an audiobook drawn from a selection of his short stories featured in Sketches By Boz. 

ii. BBC Arts has this fun flash game in which you have to dodge through Victorian London, avoiding the gangs and villains and trials and tribulations of Dickensian London in order to seek out Charles Dickens in his chalet hideaway in Rochester.

iii. For a proper, honest to goodness, biography of Dickens, you can’t go wrong with Claire Tomalin’s Charles Dickens: A Life. It is flawless in its historical detail, and acute on the novels. It is superb in the sense it gives us of the man himself. 

On today’s show, we discussed how everyday landscapes have the potential to serve environmental, social and cultural functions. We are joined by LAr. Norliza Mohd Yusof, Member of the Institute of Landscape Architects Malaysia (ILAM) to find out more about the organisation’s passion for organising and developing green spaces.

These are the questions constantly asked about electronic books and electronic reading. Do you read electronically? Do you like it? It is just for convenience? Don’t you miss the paper? This week, on Afterwords, Uma takes you through the pros and cons of reading digitally.

Show Notes:

i. For a great example of how the e-book can enhance a classic text, check out the app version of T.S. Eliot’s The Wasteland. It is such a rich literary experience that it almost justifies buying an iPad.

ii. There’s also a great digital version of Kerouac’s On the Road by Penguin. Check out the trailer for the app here.