Demographic

Population evolution in different continents The vertical axis is logarithmic and is millions of people.

In the 20th century, the world saw the biggest increase in its population in human history due to lessening of the mortality rate in many countries due to medical advance and massive increase in agricultural productivity attributed to the Green Revolution
In year 2000, the United Nation estimated that the world's population was growing at the rate of 1.14% (or about 75 million people) per year, down from a peak of 88 million per year in 1989. In the last few centuries, the number of people living on Earth has increased many times over. By the year 2000, there were 10 times as many people on Earth as there were 300 years ago. According to data from the CIA's 2005–2006 World Factbook the world human population increased by 203,800 every day.The CIA Factbook increased this to 211,090 people every day in 2007, and again to 220,980 people every day in 2009.

Map of countries and territories by fertility rate
Globally, the population growth rate has been steadily declining from its peak of 2.19% in 1963, but growth remains high in Latin America, the Middle East and Sub-Saharan Africa.
In some countries there is negative population growth (i.e. net decrease in population over time), especially in Central and Eastern Europe (mainly due to low fertility rates) and Southern Africa (due to the high number of HIV-related deaths). Within the next decade, Japan and some countries in Western Europe are also expected to encounter negative population growth due to sub-replacement fertility rates.
In 2006, the United Nations stated that population growth is rapidly declining due to the demographic transition. The world population is expected to peak at 9.2 billion in 2050. However, this is only one of many estimates published by the UN. In 2009, UN projections for 2050 range from about 8 billion to 10.5 billion.

Gasing and Top Spinning(culture)

Gasing or tops spinning, is a traditonal games popular among Malay(Native people). Especially amongst the villagers in the State of Kelantan and Melaka. Each season after the rice harvest,several villagers will come together to challenge each other in an ultimate test of skill. The villagers believed that the spinning tops would help bring good harvest. Giant Top Spinning is no child's games! Each Gasing or top weighs approximately 5 kg. It calls for strength, coordination and skill. The Gasing, if expertly hurled, can spin for as along as 2 hours.Both adults and children can play the game. But bigger or giant top spinning is more of a games for adult than children. the one used by adults are much bigger in size and can spin for a period of time whereas the one played by kids are much smaller.
Gasing or top spinning is split into two categories. One is for ornamental purposes and while the other is for playing.
A Gasing or top spinning contest as far that I know basically a friendly games. The event that follow are normally have two kinds of matches. T he first is the "spinning contest" and the second one is called the "striking match". The "Spinning contest", the one who can spin his top for the longest time wins the match. Once the top has been launched, the top is carefully scooped off the ground using a thin wooden bat. It will then be transferred to a little wooden surface and left to spin for as long as possible. The trick here is to ensure that the top doesn't topple during the transit. Tough as it may seem and unbelievably so, the current record stands at two hours. The "striking match" is far more exciting that the first. At least you won't need to stand there for hours watching a top spin and spin and spin. The "striking match" is as the name suggests. Each contestant must try to hit their opponent's tops so that the already spinning tops will topple and loses its balance and speed.

YOUTH

Youth is the period between childhood and adulthood, described as the period of physical and psychological development from the onset of puberty to maturity and early adulthood. Definitions of the specific age range that constitutes youth vary. An individual’s actual maturity may not correspond to their chronological age, as immature individuals exist at all ages. Youth is those persons between the ages of 15 and 24 years.

Around the world the terms “youth”, “adolescent”, “teenager”, and “young person” are interchanged, often meaning the same thing. Youth generally refers to a time of life that is neither childhood nor adulthood, but rather somewhere in-between. The term youth is also related to being young.

Youth is alternative word to the scientifically-oriented adolescent and the common terms of teen and teenager. Another common title for youth is young person of young people.

PROBLEMS AFFECTING YOUTH.

Essentially, these youth fall into the period of life from the beginning of puberty to the attainment of adulthood. This period is usually concomitant with problems as they struggle to fit themselves into society. Nevertheless difficult decisions and adjustments face young people in today's society.

Given that many youths may not be sufficiently mature to cope with such problems, they go in the undesirable direction of delinquency, drugs, vandalism, stealing, etc. Moreover, they compensate for their feelings by striking out against society, revolting against adult authority. These problems are invariably compounded by peer pressure whereby young people are forced either consciously or unconsciously to become involved in those antisocial activities by people of their own age group.

Another problem facing young people today is the tension which exist between parents and children. It is usually common for strained relationships to develop between parents and young people. In their eagerness to achieve adult status, young people may or rather usually resent any restrictions placed upon them. Often times young people may not be willing to admit that they have doubts and fears about taking on adult responsibilities and freedom. They invariably believe that their parents are overanxious and overprotective. This usually creates tension between parents and young people. To correct this problem, psychologist emphasize the significance of psychological weaning. This is the process of outgrowing family domination and working towards the time when the young person establishes his or her own home. Similarly, parents should exercise control over young people, but with sympathy and understanding.

An area of immense concern, and which poses a problem for young people and their parents is sex and dating. Some parents today are prepared to give their children some latitude as far as dating and sex are concerned. In contrast, some parents are very overprotective, restricting their children from going out with the opposite sex, thus, many young people today are debarred from learning the valuable experience of adjusting to other persons. They also show deficiency in the development of social poise, which might not be available otherwise and this deprives them of their privilege. Therefore, parents, school, and the church can and should do more to promote wholesome relationships.

What can be done to address these problems? First, many of the sexually related problems of young people can be lessened if young people were given sufficient and suitable instruction well in advance of the time when sex is an immediate concern for them. Some surveys have shown that the primary source of information most children, regarding sex, is their peers, not from their parents. Secondly, the postponement of sex prior to marriage can go a long way to reduce the incidence of AIDS. And thirdly, the church can reinforce the Christian teaching of monogamy.