DPhil final year

Since I started my PhD studies at Oxford, the full moon has always been my perennial marker of time. How many more full moons will it take to complete the final lap of this marathon? Not many, I hope. This educational voyage has been undulating, certainly not suitable for the hurried and impatient, but I’ve never forgotten the adage that lessons are learnt during the journey, not at the destination. I have begun to understand that a PhD education is more than learning a subject but to acquire the skills to generate knowledge.

About the Eurozone crisis

Looking at the unemployment rates right now, with Spain at 25.8% and Portugal at 15.7%, I think the priority of their government should be to create economy growth rather than austerity. Debts can be repaid when there is increased income, but if the budget cuts go into the areas that affect economic growth, then it will inevitably end up in a downward spiral to national poverty. It took these European countries many years to rise to prosperity after WWII but the pursuit of individual entitlements and rights have created too much wastage and inefficiency. When companies have to pay hefty pensions, medical coverage and paid maternity leave (although I don’t oppose them), and still have workers going on strike every now-and-then to ask for more, it is going to hurt their bottom lines. Piling on top is the high corporate taxes, which the governments are going to increase further, may cause struggling companies to close down and create even more unemployment. The costs round back right to the government, which will have to use tax money for the unemployment handout in order to prevent social collapse. I seriously question their judgment and decisions. Why don’t they go the opposite direction? Lower taxes for small businesses, provide easy loans for startups, trim the excesses from workers’ benefits, reduce inefficient agricultural subsidies, invest in R&D and promote value-added industries. Get youths off unemployment by encouraging entrepreneurship to generate economic activity and wean off their dependence on government jobs and big corporations. These young people may lack experience, but they have the energy and drive to work, some are very well-educated and if given a little push, they can be the business leaders of the future, creating plenty of jobs for others. By having so many young, energetic people rotting in their parents’ homes, they are wasting the very resource that is the key out of the debt crisis. Instead of sitting around and blaming past leaders for maxing out their national credit cards, it is time to take action and fundamentally change their approach to this economic fiasco.

(Image source: http://www.youthandwork.ca/2012/01/youth-unemployment-crisis-on-table-at.html)

NextGen VOICES: Experiments in Governing

This is a poll question posted in Science journal in Oct. Below is my opinion on the issue.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Topic:
"You've just been elected to your nation's highest office! In your inaugural address, announce the biggest challenge facing your country today and how you will use science to address it."
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Singapore has come a long way since our pre-independence days from a tuberculosis-stricken port to Asia’s city with the highest quality of life (2011 Mercer rankings). To maintain the living standards of Singaporeans, our wages need to keep up with inflation. However, to prevent the erosion of Singapore’s business competitiveness, increases in wages should not come in the form of subsidies but should be from increases in productivity. The biggest challenge, therefore, is to increase the productivity of a country that already has a well-educated workforce, with a literacy rate of 100%, and depends on high value-added manufacturing as one of its main economic pillars.

Singapore has no choice but to progress from being efficient at acquiring knowledge to being effective at knowledge creation and application. We will have to continue investing in the scientific education of our brightest students, but go beyond offering generous PhD overseas scholarships. Through public-private research partnerships, government funded PhD students and postdocs should be given opportunities to apply their scientific knowledge in real world business problems. By providing a pool of readily available and highly enthusiastic researchers at low cost, businesses stand to benefit from R&D and thus gain productivity much faster than their competitors. An ensuing Darwinian effect would ensure that businesses with the highest productivities flourish and provide better paying jobs for Singaporeans. An investment in science now is an investment in Singapore’s future.

Current State of Affairs - March 2012

I haven’t been blogging for a while now but I do enjoy writing for pleasure. For those who used to frequent my blog, thanks for taking interest. I started blog writing since 2005 and I see no compelling reason to stop. I think a part of blog writing is to allow me to remember the thoughts, experiences and feelings I have at different stages of life. It allows me to re-live the memories and it may even allow me to draft my life memoir someday. I think I would restart my blog with the current state of affairs.

The year now is 2012. Barack Obama is the current U.S. president. The U.S. has ceased all combat operations in Iraq and will soon be pulling out of Afghanistan. Saddam Hussein, Kim Jong Il, Osama bin Laden and Muammar Gaddafi are all dead, the latter dictator gained notoriety after ordering his air force to bomb his own countrymen. North Korea already has nuclear weapons and Iran is insistent on building one. Myanmar has released Aung San Suu Kyi and taking steps towards a recognizable democracy. Japan suffered from a 9.0 magnitude earthquake which resulted in a triple whammy of a tsunami and nuclear plant damage. Although the world has stopped panicking and the news have stopped reporting on it, there are no signs that the radiation leakage has been contained.

The United States and Europe are both in financial mess. The debt to GDP ratio of the U.S. has surpassed 100% and its credit rating has been cut from AAA to AA, which reflects the decline in the perception of US economic dominance. The Euro currency has also been threatened because of overspending by member countries such as Greece, Italy and Spain. The unemployment rate of the U.S. is now 8.3%. UK is 8.4%, Canada is 7.6%, Greece is 19.2%, Spain is 22.9%, China 6.1% and Singapore is 2.0%.

From a statistical point of view, Singapore seems to be very well, a consequence of long-term economic policies of the past. However, the rapid increase in population density has made living here uncomfortable, partly due to cultural friction and increased competition for jobs, housing etc. The inflation rate and cost of living has also been rising much faster than wages and the recent government measures of reducing reliance on foreign labor has taken its toll on local businesses, increasing their manpower costs by 60-70%. As land resource is limited, the reduction in population growth means that the only way for economy and wages to grow is to increase productivity. However, it seems that the campaign is not aggressive enough, at least nowhere as aggressive as the policy of hunting for global talent. If only they put more muscle into productivity improvement.

In any case, the metaphor that Singapore is a sampan in a big ocean is a very relevant one. Despite how well we steer the boat, our prosperity is dependent on the sea being calm.

SONNET 116

Let me not to the marriage of true minds
Admit impediments. Love is not love
Which alters when it alteration finds,
Or bends with the remover to remove:
O no! it is an ever-fixed mark
That looks on tempests and is never shaken;
It is the star to every wandering bark,
Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken.
Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks
Within his bending sickle's compass come:
Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,
But bears it out even to the edge of doom.
If this be error and upon me proved,
I never writ, nor no man ever loved.

 

William Shakespeare

Teach Creationism alongside Evolution (but also teach what Science is all about)

http://web.me.com/dinoruss/dinoruss-lairhome.html

What is Science? Is it a collection of facts that is purported to be true by scientific authorities? Or is it an accumulation of logical conclusions supported by irrefutable evidence? The controversy of teaching evolution in the Science classes begins with the misconception that evolution is just a theory. Theory, in this case, is interpreted as a hypothesis, one of many possibilities of how living species, whether plant or animal, bacteria or fungi, arise to its present day form. So, if evolution was just one possible explanation, why not teach other possible explanations? Why can’t you teach people that all living things are created as it is, by a creator God, in the Science classroom?

Atheists – people who are absolutely certain that God does not exist – believe that bringing God or a divine creator in the classroom is not very scientific. Christian scientists – people who attempt to explain biblical truths using scientific evidence – believe that Creationism should be given a proper place as a viable alternative to Evolution. To be honest, my initial reaction would be to vote for Science and Religion to be kept separate; keep religion in religious classes and science in science classes. However, upon deeper reflection about the philosophy of Science, I’ve began to see the merits of bringing the theory of Creationism into the Science classroom.

The problem with scientific education nowadays is that students nowadays are taught to accept scientific facts based on authority: “The Earth is spherical”, “the Sun is at the centre of the solar system”, “Humans are the product of Evolution”. Students who regurgitate these “facts” in their examinations get rewarded with top grades. To them, there is an absolute right and wrong answer in Science and what is written in the textbook or taught by the teacher is right. And if THAT is how students think what Science is, then how is it different from Religion? If that is how Evolution is taught, as a scientific fact because all the scientists said so, it is no wonder the religious groups want Creationism to have an equal position.

In honest truth, that is not what Science is about. The philosophy of Science is one that relies on evidence, not authority. By evidence, it means clear, unbiased, and repeatable by anyone given the right tools and technical skills. If I make the scientific claim that pure water boils at 100 degree centigrade at sea level, anyone in the world will be able to verify that claim with a well calibrated thermometer. That makes it a scientific fact. If I make the scientific claim that a modern virus is a mutated form of an older virus, anyone can verify the genetic sequence if given a PCR machine and suitable primers. A scientific textbook, is at best, a collection of conclusions based on experimentation. The ideal Scientific Theory would be one that anybody with a sound and logical mind would come up with given the clear, rigorous and unambiguous evidence provided. This is the difference between the theories of Evolution and Creationism.

The Theory of Evolution, without its evidence, would not stand; scientists would not believe it, the general public would not believe it. There is no authoritative book stating that Evolution has to be right. All Evolution has is evidence, and all evidence points to evolution. Creationism does not have the luxury of evidence, but it has the backing of religious ideology. By teaching introducing both of them in the classroom, and by showing all the scientific evidence, students should be able to judge for themselves what is scientific and what is not.

Science is not a religion. It is a belief system that is based on observation, experimentation, repeatability and sound reasoning. There is neither absolute certainty nor central authority. All interpretations are subjected to the individual logical mind. Scientists present their findings, peer reviewers critically judge the rigor of their results and reputable journals publish their studies, but it is up to the individual to determine why these observations happen in nature.

For example, if two groups of mice are subjected to different diets, one high in cholesterol and one low. The group of mice with high cholesterol diet suffered from coronary heart disease after 2 months but the group with low cholesterol appeared normal and healthy. If this observation was seen repeatedly by different groups of scientists, what would be your conclusion about cholesterol and heart disease? Do you need an authoritative book to back up your theory?

Science should be taught as a philosophy, not a religion.

Love thy neighbour

December 13, 1937. The japanese imperial army capture Nanking and committed atrocities that hallowed till this day.

March 11, 2011. Japan suffered a 9.0 magnitude earthquake at the Tohoku region. The resulting tsumani killed thousands and injured many others.

While the world pays its respect the deceased and marvels at the resilience and calmness of the Japanese people, it's easy for them to overlook the miraculous progress between China-Japan relations.

China, whom had 20-30 million of her people killed by the Japanese during the WWII, is lending its help to them today. $US4.5 million worth of blankets, tents, lighting and other life-saving equipment were sent to Japan, along with a shipping of petrol and diesel. Critics might argue that, considering the size of China's economy, the aid amount is insignificant. However, even a little aid shows that grace exists and it is amazing to see traditional enemies helping each other out in natural disasters. Imagine Israel having an earthquake and Iran-Syria sending humanitarian aid to them. If they could do that, there will be peace in the middle east.

"Love thy neighbour," those divine words of wisdom originated from the middle east, is now being practiced thousands of miles from Jerusalem. It sets an example for the rest of the world to follow.

Afghan kid vs US kid

Yes. The contrast is THAT great.

Happily Ever After

Once upon a time, there was a girl who loved bears. Whenever she had a birthday or any special occasion, she would pester her parents or friends to get her some teddy bears. Sometimes, she would buy them herself if nobody gave her any. She even remarked, "If some guy were to give me a teddy bear as a present, I will marry him!"

Across the globe, an adventurous little Romeo bided farewell to his family and went on a journey of his lifetime. Ambitious yet apprehensive, he travelled across continents to reach an unfamiliar place which enlightened scholars for more than eight centuries. Feeling as he’d travelled back in time, he pulled out his camera and took photos of this ancient town, with its cobbled streets and all. For some strange reason, the first photo he took was this:

A few weeks later, our dear Juliet was having her quiet little dinner when Romeo sat right in front of her. There was an introduction, a brief exchange of words and a simple farewell. The only thing that registered in the boy’s head was the girl’s name (not to mention that he found her cute). No visible sparks formed but little did they knew that the hands of fate has started to move…

The second time they met was another uneventful episode. The girl, still scratching her head over the boy’s name, was too shy to ask. She eventually found out the boy’s name by chance: his name was engraved in the matriculation group photo she’d just ordered. The boy, on the other hand, did not purchase that photo. Once again, they’d brushed across each other.

One night, while our Juliet was bored, she started adding her college friends into her MySpace account when she remembered him. She tried adding him but little did she know that this Romeo had switched to Facebook a long time ago. Also by chance, he felted compelled to check his MySpace account for no apparent reason, after abandoning it for more than a year. To his surprise, he received an invitation from an unknown email address. Half-guessing it could well be that cute girl he met in the dining hall, he added her, but tried to verify it was her by searching for her profile on Facebook.

True enough, he found her but she didn’t like taking photos so out poor Romeo could only confirm her identity by making another trip down to the dining hall some day. Again, feeling bored, Juliet clicked on Romeo’s blog address and read his entries, where anecdotes from different points of his life gave a summary of his thoughts and character. This left Juliet with a deep impression that this guy was a sincere and honest man, filial to his parents and loyal to his friends. For a while they communicated using Facebook, but the poor boy had no information about his girl except her birthday – Boxing Day.

“Will anyone be celebrating your birthday this year?”

“No. I haven’t celebrated my birthday since I came to UK.”

“Poor thing! Well then. Since I’ll be around, I’ll celebrate for you then.”

“It’s OK. There’s no need to.”

“Will you be around College on Boxing Day?”

“Yes, I’ll be in my room.”

Christmas period came and most students went home for the holiday season. A female traveler from the same hometown as Romeo came by and they went shopping for Juliet’s birthday cake together. As Romeo picked his choice of cake, the traveler seemed inclined to look into the dessert section. The boy was deciding whether to buy bright pink cake with a flower on it, or the one with the “Me to you” bear. His gut feeling told him that the cake with the bear was the right one, so he bought it for the girl.

Juliet on the other hand, was buying coffee. Anticipating Romeo to come by on her birthday, she thought it would be proper to ask “Do you want coffee or tea?”

Since she didn’t drink coffee, she couldn’t ask that question, until she bought some. That was her rationale, but that dumb Romeo asked for water instead. (Don’t ask why, but that coffee is now sitting in my room...)

ALL shops were closed on Christmas Day and but the shops reopened on Boxing Day with clearance sales and great discounts. Intending to buy some clothes and present on that day, a “Me to you” bear caught his eye. Thinking it would make the perfect present, he bought the bear and wrapped it up himself. In the evening, he knocked on her door and presented her with cake and present. (He didn’t know she was waiting for her all day and felt guilty for it till this day.)

They agreed to go for a visit to the Ashmolean Museum the following day but when the female traveler turned up, Juliet was under the impression that she was his girlfriend. At the same time, Romeo was panicking, “Oh dear. She is going to misunderstand for sure! How am I going to explain it to her? If I tell her directly, how will she react?”

The misunderstanding was only cleared on the very next day, when we went to the botanical gardens.

“Is she your girlfriend?”

“Nope. She’s just a friend from Singapore. We have no special relationship. Why do you ask?”

“Erm.. no reason.”

Deep inside, both of them heaved a sigh of relief.

That night, they confessed their feelings for each other in the rain. For the first time, both of them felt the flames of passion slowly igniting in their heart. The cold winds were no match for the warm glow they now felt inside. The hands of fate had brought them together. In time, things will happen and their bond will grow stronger. Eventually, they will live happily ever after.

The End.

PS: Did I mention she studies Statistics?

英国的鸽子

“你知道这里的鸽子晚上住哪儿吗?”

我还以为问题很难，就说：“不知道。”

她就很得意的告诉我：“树上”

有时我或许不该相太多。