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Osmonds 50 Years Of Memories 1

US Team Creates First 'Synthetic Life'

WASHINGTON: US researchers have developed the first self-replicating bacteria cell controlled by a synthetic genome, but denied they were playing God or seeking to recreate life in a test-tube.

"This is the first synthetic cell that's been made," said lead researcher Craig Venter, unveiling the culmination of 15 years of research.

"We call it synthetic because the cell is totally derived from a synthetic chromosome, made with four bottles of chemicals on a chemical synthesizer, starting with information in a computer."

The method could be used to design bacteria specifically to help produce biofuels or to clean up environmental hazards, said the study carried out by the J. Craig Venter Institute, and published in the journal Science.

Potential applications include producing algae to clean up carbon dioxide, one of the main greenhouse gases blamed for global warming, or making new clean energy hydrocarbons for refineries.

Researchers also hope to work on techniques to speed up the production of vaccines and to make new food ingredients and chemical substances.

"This becomes a very powerful tool for trying to design what we want biology to do," said Venter, co-author of the first sequencing of the human genome in 2000.

But critics warned that he and his team were opening up a Pandora's Box by paving the way towards building artificial organisms that are still not properly understood.

In an interview with the BBC, Venter defended himself from accusations that he was "playing God."

"That's a term that comes up every time there is a new medical or scientific breakthrough associated with biology," he said.

"It's been a goal of humanity from the earlier stages to try and control nature... that's how we got domesticated animals.

"This is the next stage in our understanding, it is a baby step in our understanding of how life fundamentally works and maybe how we can get some new handles on trying to control these microbial systems to benefit humanity."

The researchers synthesized the 1.08 million base pair genome of the bacterium Mycoplasma mycoides -- which commonly causes mastitis in goats -- created from four bottles of the chemicals which make up the components of DNA.

They also added "watermarks" to the synthetic genome to distinguish it from a natural one. The watermarks included the names of 46 authors and scientists who worked on the project on the genome along with its own website address -- so that anyone who decodes it can send an email to the team.

Three sets of quotations including "to live, to err, to fall, to triumph, to recreate life out of life" from Irish author James Joyce were also included.

Venter told a press conference the team had started with a living cell, which had been transformed with the synthetic genome, adding the cell had gone through a "million steps of replication" and was now frozen in a freezer.

"This is an important step we think, both scientifically and philosophically. It's certainly changed my views of the definitions of life and how life works," he added in a statement.

Throughout the research, the team had engaged in discussions about the ethical implications of their work, he stressed.

But Canadian international technology watchdog ETC Group warned against further such research.

The synthetic cell "is not a one-stop shop for all our societal woes," said the group's director Pat Mooney. "It is much more likely to cause a whole new set of problems governments and society are ill-prepared to address."

Venter's team announced in 2008 that it had chemically synthesized a bacterial genome, but it was unable to activate that genome in a cell at that time.

Now the team had managed to "boot up" the synthetic genome to create the first cell controlled by a synthetic genome.

But Jim Thomas from the ETC Group warned: "Synthetic biology is a high-risk, profit-driven field, building organisms out of parts that are still poorly understood.

"We know that lab-created life forms can escape, become biological weapons and that their use threatens existing natural biodiversity."

Dismissing the danger of bio-terrorism, Venter added to the BBC: "The technology is not for sale, the cells are not for sale. We are trying to use this technology to advance vaccine protection, we are trying to use it to advance the basic understanding of cellular life."

8 Survive Plane Crash In South India, 158 Dead

MANGALORE, India: An Air India Express airliner crashed outside an airport in southern India on Saturday, killing 158 people when it burst into flames after overshooting a table-top runway and plunging into forest below.

There were eight survivors after the Boeing 737-800, which had come from Dubai with 166 people on board including crew, appeared to skid off the runway in rain at Mangalore airport in Karnataka state, Air India director Anup Srivastava said.

At least 146 bodies had been recovered, said M. Nambiar, a top official in the Civil Aviation ministry.

"We had no hope to survive, but we survived," Pradeep, a survivor who is an Indian technician working in Dubai, told local television.

"The plane broke into two and we jumped off the plane. As soon as the plane landed, within seconds this happened."

Local television showed a fireman carrying what seemed to be the remains of a child from the smoking wreckage. Charred bodies lay in the forested terrain.

All the passengers were Indian nationals, an Air India official in Dubai said. Many were likely Indian migrant workers in Dubai. The pilot was Serbian and said to be very experienced.

Air India Express is the budget arm of the loss-ridden state-run carrier Air India, which has been fending off growing competition from private airlines.

The flight's black box has been recovered, the United Arab Emirates state news agency WAM said. But Air India official Nambiar said the search for the flight data recorder was still going on.

The crash appeared to be an accident, Indian officials said. One TV report said the plane hit a radar pole on landing.

"There was no distress indication from the pilot. That means between the pilot and the airport communication there was no indication of any problem," V.P. Agarwal, director of Airports Authority of India, told local television.

Indian officials said the plane crashed around 6 a.m. . TV images showed it struck a forested area, and flames were blazing from the wreckage as rescue workers fought to bring the fire under control.

"While landing at the airport, the plane deviated and hit something," said Krishna, another survivor. "It caught fire and we fell out. We looked up and saw some opening and came out through that route."

BOOM INDUSTRY

It was India's first major crash in a decade, which has seen a boom in private carriers amid growing demand from India's middle class.

A series of near misses at major airports, including Delhi and Mumbai, have sparked debate about how India's creaking infrastructure was failing to keep pace with an economic boom.

Indian Law Minister Veerappa Moily told CNN-IBN TV that he had opened a new runway at Mangalore airport just 10 days ago. The ill-fated Air India airliner was two years old.

Boeing said in a statement it was sending a team to provide technical assistance to the crash investigation.

The last major crash in India was in July 2000 when an Alliance Air Boeing 737-200 crashed into a residential area during a second landing attempt in the eastern city of Patna, killing at least 50 people.

With growing competition from private carriers, the Indian government agreed to inject $1.1 billion into Air India if the ailing state-run carrier came up with the same amount in cost cuts and extra revenue.

The airline lost $875 million in the fiscal year ended March 2009.

Hundreds of Air India pilots went on strike in September 2009 to protest at management plans to cut pay incentives. The strike was called off when aviation minister Praful Patel said the grievances would be dealt with.

Rest In Peace Dr Goh Keng Swee

Singapore’s former Deputy Prime Minister and chief economic architect, Dr. Goh Keng Swee, has passed away after a long illness. He was 91.

Dr Goh is best remembered as one of the key architects behind Singapore’s economic success. His daughter-in-law, Tan Siok Sun described the story of his life in the new book Goh Keng Swee: A Portrait. The biography features many of the key milestones in Singapore’s journey from sleepy backwater to a globalised, First-World city.

He is survived by his wife, son, daughter-in-law, two grandsons and three great grandchildren.

Born into a rich Malacca family, his father, Goh Leng Inn, managed a rubber plantation and his mother was from a family that produced famous Malaysian politicians like Tan Cheng Lock and his son Tan Siew Sin.

Dr. Goh came to Singapore at the age of two, and was later educated at Anglo Chinese School before going on to study economics at Raffles College.

He was active in post-war administration after joining the Department of Social Welfare in 1946. He then tendered his resignation from the civil service to enter politics in 1959. Elected as the People’s Action Party (PAP)’s representative for the Kreta Ayer Constituency, he only retired from the position in 1984.

In 1959, upon taking up the post of Minister of Finance, he once famously described the state of Singapore’s economy as “wretched”. Thanks to his efforts, however, the economy did not stay that way for long.

Twelve years later, in 1979, Dr. Goh made significant contributions to Singapore’s education system, introducing key policies like religious education and streaming in primary schools.

Apart from his role as the Finance Minister, Dr. Goh also became the Minister for Interior and Defence until 1967 following Singapore’s independence. One of the key policies he is credited for is the creation of National Service.

Due to personal reasons, Dr. Goh stepped down as Deputy Prime Minister in 1984. By then, he had been in the Cabinet for 25 years, serving the last 11 as Deputy Prime Minister.

Famed for his legendary thriftiness, President S.R. Nathan, who once worked with Goh in the defence ministry in the 1970s, observed that he was so averse to the idea of spending that he would carry soap flakes to wash his clothing in the hotel bathroom whenever he travelled.

Retired civil servant Oon Lye Kim, 70, told Yahoo! Singapore, “Dr. Goh wasn’t much of a talker but he was a brilliant economist. He really laid the foundations for Singapore’s economic success. He was also instrumental in developing Jurong Island, then just a wild jungle, thereby giving jobs to thousands.”

Another retiree, Paul Loh, 63 said, “He was a very tough but also prudent man, especially when Singapore broke away from Malaysia and we were left on our own. People respect him for what he has done.”

My condolences to his family.

Thank you, Dr. Goh. Rest in peace.

Australian Aims To Solve Great Everest Mystery

SYDNEY: An Australian adventurer will set out to solve Mount Everest's greatest mystery this week by searching for long-lost evidence that the peak was conquered in 1924, 29 years earlier than previously thought.

Mountaineer Duncan Chessell said conditions were the best in decades to find the missing body of Andrew "Sandy" Irvine and perhaps photographic evidence that he reached the world's highest peak with fellow Briton George Mallory.

Mallory and Irvine perished near the summit during their expedition, leaving many wondering whether they had successfully scaled Everest. Mallory's body was recovered in 1999 but not the camera equipment he was believed to be carrying.

"I was at North Col last week and the wind was 150 kilometres (90 miles) per hour and it was stripping snow off the mountain which has been there for many years," Chessell said in a message from base camp, according to AAP news agency.

"There is now bare rock exposed which has been deeply covered for decades in the most likely areas where Andrew Irvine's body may be.

"It is my intention to search those areas en route to the summit and take this rare opportunity to find him and, perhaps, the missing cameras."

New Zealand's Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay are acknowledged as the first to conquer Everest in 1953, but Mallory and Irvine's unexplained story has continued to fascinate the mountaineering world.

"I have studied this matter very closely and am now very familiar with Mount Everest," Chessell said. "I believe we have a good chance of finding something."

Chessell, who is also bidding to become the first Australian to summit Everest three times, was due to begin his final ascent on Tuesday and should reach the peak by Sunday or Monday.

Worst Words To Say At Work....

Let’s look at some specific words and phrases that are used by some people to buy time, avoid giving answers and escape commitment. If you use these words and phrases yourself, take a scalpel and cut them out of your thinking, speaking and writing. Words like these only weaken you and make you sound noncommittal, undependable and untrustworthy.

“Try”
Try is a weasel word. “Well, I’ll try,” some people say. It’s a cop-out. They’re just giving you lip service when they probably have no real intention of doing what you ask. Remember what Yoda says to Luke Skywalker in Star Wars: “Do or do not–there is no try.” Take Yoda’s advice. Give it your all when you attempt something. And if it doesn’t work, start over.

Put passion into your work and give it your best effort, so you can know that you did all you could to make it happen. So if the outcome you were expecting didn’t come to fruition, it’s not because you didn’t do everything you could to make it happen. It just wasn’t the right time for it or it wasn’t meant to be.

“Whatever”
This word is a trusted favourite of people who want to dismiss you, diminish what you say or get rid of you quickly. “Whatever,” they will say as an all-purpose response to your earnest request. It’s an insult and a verbal slap in the face. It’s a way to respond to a person without actually responding. When you say whatever after another person has said his or her piece, you have essentially put up a wall between the two of you and halted any progress in communicating. It’s a word to avoid.

“Maybe” and “I don’t know”
People will sometimes avoid making a decision and hide behind words and phrases like “maybe” and “I don’t know.” There’s a difference between legitimately not knowing something and using words like these as excuses. Sometimes, during a confrontation, people will claim not to know something or offer the noncommittal response “maybe,” just to avoid being put on the spot. If that seems to be the case, ask, “When do you think you will know?” or “How can you find out?” Don’t let the person off the hook so easily.

“I’ll get back to you”
When people need to buy time or avoid revealing a project’s status, they will say, “I’ll get back to you,” and they usually never do. If people say they will get back to you, always clarify. Ask them when they will get back to you, and make sure they specify the day and time. If they don’t, then pin them down to a day and time and hold them to it. If they won’t give you a day or time, tell them you’ll call in a day or week and follow up. Make sure you call and get the information you need.

“If”
Projects depend on everyone doing his or her part. People who use if are usually playing the blame game and betting against themselves. They like to set conditions, rather than assuming a successful outcome. People who rely on conditional responses are fortifying themselves against potential failure. They will say, “If Bob finishes his part, then I can do my part.” They’re laying the groundwork for a “no fault” excuse and for not finishing their work.

There are always alternatives, other routes and ways to get the job done. Excuse makers usually have the energy of a slug, the vision of Mr. Magoo and the spine of a jellyfish. You don’t want them on your mountain climbing team up K-2 or Mount Everest.

“Yes, but …”
This is another excuse. You might give your team members suggestions or solutions and they come back to you with “Yes, but . . .” as a response. They don’t really want answers, help, or solutions. You need to call the “Yes, but . . .” people out on their avoidance tactic by saying something like: “You know, Jackie, every time I offer you a suggestion you say, ‘Yes, but . . . ,” which makes me think you don’t really want to solve this problem. That’s not going to work. If you want to play the victim, go right ahead, but I’m not going to allow you to keep this up and I may have to report you.” After a response like that, you can be assured that the next words you hear will not be, “Yes, but . . .”!

“I guess …”

This is usually said in a weak, soft-spoken, shoulder-shrugging manner. It’s another attempt to shirk responsibility–a phrase is only muttered when people half agree with you, but want to leave enough leeway to say, “Well, I didn’t really know. . . . I was only guessing.” If you use this phrase, cut it out of your vocabulary.

“We’ll see”

How many times did we hear our parents say this? We knew they were buying time, avoiding a fight or confrontation or really saying no. It’s better to be decisive and honest by saying, “I need more information. Please present your case or send me the data–both pro and con–so I can make an informed decision.” That way the interested parties will contribute to an in-depth, well-researched “verdict.”

This column is an excerpt of Surviving The Toxic Workplace (McGraw-Hill, 2010) by Linnda Durré, a psychotherapist, business consultant and columnist.
http://www.survivingthetoxicworkplace.com/

I Won A Lamborghini? No, Thanks.

Singaporean Rina Sim, 51, visited the Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) casino with her elderly parents earlier this month.

While they played at the second floor VIP tables, she tried her luck at the slot machines making S$5 bets. She was down to her last S$50 when the buttons on the machine stopped working.

She could not play or retrieve her ticket when suddenly, a message flashed on the machine, “Congratulations, you have won the Lamborghini!”

According to The New Paper, Ms Sim was one of two punters who won a Lamborghini each at the RWS casino last week. The two were playing the Mystery Jackpot and were among those who have won over S$70 million over the first three months of the casino’s opening (I wonder how many lost.)

Each luxury car is worth S$850,000 and does not include COE, but the two lucky winners opted for S$650,000 cash instead.

“I really didn’t expect to be so lucky,” said Ms Sim, who opted for the cash because she said a sports car is too difficult to maintain.

Single, and living alone in a condo, she added that she will use the money to pay off housing loans, give some to her parents as well as make donations to old folks’ homes.

The self-professed “aunty” is an RWS regular and visits the casino twice a week, also frequenting cruise ships and overseas casinos. But she insists that she will not increase her bets or stop working because of the windfall.

“The money is not life-changing. If you spend a bit here and a bit there, it will be gone quickly. You still have to work and be thrifty,” she advises.

After all, when it comes to gambling, everyone knows the old adage — for every winner, there’s a thousand losers.

Somehow....

By winning, you achieve something.

By losing, you are motivated to work hard.

By quitting, you shatter your dreams.

By giving yourself a chance to try again or hold on,

some way,

some how,

you will end up getting there.

All blessings are always one second late,

but they're always at the right time.

Can iPad Replace Laptop????

Apple has impossible expectations to meet with the iPad. In the run up to its launch, fans around the world predicted a super-saviour, near-messianic tablet that would not only save the publishing industry but forever change the way we use computers.

In many ways, the iPad is on the way to changing the ergonomics of computing, the same way Apple changed the way smartphones work in our hands.

But really, hype aside, how useful is the iPad as a companion for road warriors?

As part of the job at Yahoo!, I’m on the road about twice a month on average. I’ve been traveling with the iPad for the past few weeks with one question in mind — is it good enough to replace my office-issued Hewlett-Packard sub-notebook?

No. Here’s why:

1. Multi-tasking: No small matter — who likes having to close and open applications continuously? If you get an email with an invite to a meeting, you’ll have to close the mail app, open the calendar, check the schedule, close the calendar, open the mail app and reply. Computing may be tough sometimes, but multi-tasking is nothing short of sliced bread.

2. Keyboard: I’ve been annoyed that the iPhone doesn’t have a keyboard. I hate it even more that there isn’t one for the iPad. Sure, I know I can pair it up with a Bluetooth keyboard, but that’s just one more gadget to pack on a trip.

3. Charger: The iPad can only be charged through a wall charger — you can’t juice up on a regular USB port. That’s another thing to think about.

4. Business apps: Want to work on a 20-page Powerpoint deck on the iPad? Don’t even bother. Apple’s Keynote often shreds Powerpoint pressos.

5. The attention: A curse on early adopters! While it’s a great conversation piece, it means having to demo it for plenty of onlookers.

There are, of course, lots of great reasons to travel with an iPad. Just to balance the argument, here are three of the best ones:

1. Instant on: No-fire-up-and… wait, wait, wait on this. Hit the “on” button and you’re up instantly.

2. Battery life: You get up to ten hours on this.

3. Flights: It’s comfortable to use in the economy seat. No scrunched up body postures. Also, the iPad guarantees a quick pass through on airport security checks. This is one computer that you can safely keep in your bag during luggage x-rays.

Overall, the experience has been positive. But if I had to pick only one business computer for a trip, it would still be the laptop.

What’s been your experience with the “wonder tablet”? Do you plan to get your hands on one?