An MIT for Singapore The Straits Times Nov 4, 2009 THE ST INTERVIEW SU, like the US university, will be all about bringing the best and brightest together for a quality education By Sandra Davie TO DESCRIBE the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) as one of the world's most powerful engines of the entrepreneurial spirit would be a massive understatement. As one of its famously fastidious professors might put it, just check the numbers. If the revenues of all the companies formed by MIT graduates were added up, that would be more than US$2 trillion (S$2.8 trillion) a year - more than the gross domestic product of all but the 10 largest nations in the world. There are about 6,900 companies in the state of Massachusetts alone founded by MIT alumni. They employ just under a million Americans. A further 18,900 such companies are scattered around the world employing hundreds of thousands Prof with a focus on innovation PROFESSOR Thomas Magnanti, 64, is one of 14 institute professors at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The title is the highest awarded to a faculty member. He is also a former dean of MIT's School of Engineering. As dean of engineering from 1999 to 2008, he focused on educational innovation, industrial and international partnerships, technology-based entrepreneurship, diversity and innovation in emerging domains such as bioengineering, tiny technologies, information engineering and engineering systems. Prof Magnanti has received numerous education and research awards and honorary degrees and has served on a number of corporate and university boards. He is also a member of the US National Academy of Engineering and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. His first degree, in chemical engineering, was from Syracuse University, and he has two master's degrees, in statistics and mathematics, as well as a PhD in operations research, all from Stanford University. Since the mid-1980s, Prof Magnanti has been a contributing faculty member and then a member of the governing board of the Singapore-MIT Alliance. He later became director of the Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology. He is married with a son. Prof Magnanti says his hope is that SU will do for Singapore what MIT did for Massachusetts and the US economy; be an engine of growth for the Singapore economy. -- ST PHOTO: JOYCE FANG
16 coach companies fined Nov 4, 2009 16 operators colluded to set minimum prices for tickets By Maria Almenoar SIXTEEN coach operators plying between Singapore and Malaysia and their association have been fined $1.69 million for price-fixing. The Competition Commission of Singapore (CCS) has found the companies and the Executive Bus Agencies Association (EBAA) guilty of setting a minimum price for coach tickets sold here and for a fuel and insurance surcharge on each ticket. This collusion took place between 2006 and June last year. The fines, ranging from $10,000 to $518,167, are pegged to the company's size and the amount earned from the price-fixing. The total fine is the biggest penalty handed down by the CCS, which promotes healthy competition in the various industries and administers the Competition Act. In the only other time it has wielded its powers, it fined six pest exterminators a total of $263,000 for bid-rigging in January last year. Penalties imposed 1. Transtar Travel $518,167 2. Five Stars Tours $450,207 3. Konsortium Express & Tours $337,635 4. Regent Star Travel $103,875 5. Gunung Raya Travel $76,668 6. GR Travel $52,432 7. Grassland Express & Tours $27,706 8. Sri Maju Tours & Travel $24,600 9. Enjoy Holiday Tour $23,425 10. WTS Travel & Tours $13,611 11. Alisan $10,807 12. Travelzone Network Services $10,000 13. T&L Tours $10,000 14. Nam Ho Travel Service $10,000 15. Lapan Lapan Travel $10,000 16. Luxury Tours & Travel $10,000 17. Express Bus Agencies Association $10,000 Total: $1,699,133
S'pore develops UV-blocking lenses My Paper Wed, Nove 04, 2009 IBN research team creates photochromic contact lens, that darken under ultraviolet rays. By Jake Ching COLOUR-CHANGING contact lenses that protect users from harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation are expected to be available in pharmacies, eye clinics and optic shops in two years' time. This type of contact lens, developed by the Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (IBN), is known as a photochromic contact lens and is the first of its kind. It shields users from UV rays by darkening under UV radiation, which is present in both sunlight and articificial light. The degree of darkening depends on the intensity of the radiation it is exposed to. The contact lens is more sensitive than transitional lens for spectacles, and adapts to light changes over 10 times faster. It is also more comfortable to wear because of its lubricating nature, said IBN senior research scientist Edwin Chow. A pair of these lenses is expected to cost around $230, about 30 to 40 per cent cheaper than a pair of regular transitional spectacles. Dr Chow, 38, said: "Longterm, unprotected exposure to the sun's UV rays can lead to eye conditions such as cataracts, that can compromise the quality of our vision. "With that in mind, and the fact that 314 million people globally are visually impaired, we decided to create this contact lens as it would create a major commercial impact.? He heads a team of six researchers looking into eye therapies, including work on the photochromic contact lens, which is part of a $5-million project funded until next year by Exploit Technologies, the Agency for Science, Technology and Research?s marketing and commercialisation arm. Among the six other eye therapies being researched is a drug-loaded contact lens that releases a certain amount of medication at regular intervals to the eye for up to 10 hours, to treat eye diseases such as glaucoma, the primary cause of blindness. The lens can store up to two types of medications, and ensure that all the medication goes into the eye, unlike a traditional eye dropper, which wastes 95 per cent of the medication. Exploit Technologies is negotiating with two companies to commercialise both types of contact lenses. As part of the project, the IBN has set up the IBN iCare research laboratory at Biopolis, the first lab here to be dedicated to developing nanomaterial for eye therapy. It will be working with the National University Hospital (NUH) to test the safety and efficacy of both lenses in clinical trials. They will carry out 25 trials on the photochromic lens, and 50 to 100 trials on the drugloaded one, said NUH senior consultant opthalmologist Lennard Thean, who will be heavily involved in the trials. He could not say when the trials would be starting. They will be conducted at NUH?s new $2.1-million eye centre at Biopolis, where its patients, who seek Lasik surgery to correct shortsightedness, will be treated from now on. Both the laboratory and the centre were opened yesterday by Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry S. Iswaran yesterday.
S'pore develops UV-blocking lenses My Paper Wed, Nove 04, 2009 IBN research team creates photochromic contact lens, that darken under ultraviolet rays. By Jake Ching COLOUR-CHANGING contact lenses that protect users from harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation are expected to be available in pharmacies, eye clinics and optic shops in two years' time. This type of contact lens, developed by the Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (IBN), is known as a photochromic contact lens and is the first of its kind. It shields users from UV rays by darkening under UV radiation, which is present in both sunlight and articificial light. The degree of darkening depends on the intensity of the radiation it is exposed to. The contact lens is more sensitive than transitional lens for spectacles, and adapts to light changes over 10 times faster. It is also more comfortable to wear because of its lubricating nature, said IBN senior research scientist Edwin Chow. A pair of these lenses is expected to cost around $230, about 30 to 40 per cent cheaper than a pair of regular transitional spectacles. Dr Chow, 38, said: "Longterm, unprotected exposure to the sun's UV rays can lead to eye conditions such as cataracts, that can compromise the quality of our vision. "With that in mind, and the fact that 314 million people globally are visually impaired, we decided to create this contact lens as it would create a major commercial impact.? He heads a team of six researchers looking into eye therapies, including work on the photochromic contact lens, which is part of a $5-million project funded until next year by Exploit Technologies, the Agency for Science, Technology and Research?s marketing and commercialisation arm. Among the six other eye therapies being researched is a drug-loaded contact lens that releases a certain amount of medication at regular intervals to the eye for up to 10 hours, to treat eye diseases such as glaucoma, the primary cause of blindness. The lens can store up to two types of medications, and ensure that all the medication goes into the eye, unlike a traditional eye dropper, which wastes 95 per cent of the medication. Exploit Technologies is negotiating with two companies to commercialise both types of contact lenses. As part of the project, the IBN has set up the IBN iCare research laboratory at Biopolis, the first lab here to be dedicated to developing nanomaterial for eye therapy. It will be working with the National University Hospital (NUH) to test the safety and efficacy of both lenses in clinical trials. They will carry out 25 trials on the photochromic lens, and 50 to 100 trials on the drugloaded one, said NUH senior consultant opthalmologist Lennard Thean, who will be heavily involved in the trials. He could not say when the trials would be starting. They will be conducted at NUH?s new $2.1-million eye centre at Biopolis, where its patients, who seek Lasik surgery to correct shortsightedness, will be treated from now on. Both the laboratory and the centre were opened yesterday by Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry S. Iswaran yesterday.
Off topic-Hmm.. - I don't know much abt how M'sia elect their PM (whether the people elect him directly or through a Parliament); i take it, it's quite similar to S'pore's system?? which elects the PM through the Parliament, not directly elected by the people. In U.S. case, all Presidents, and esp. both President Bushes, weren't handed down the presidency nor elected through Congress (similar to Parliament); rather the people elected them. - As for the war, initially, i was one who was rather cynical abt the intent of it. There were so many questions and doubts as to the purpose. But now that it's already full blown, i believe there's a much, much bigger picture in the whole Iraq war and why the U.S. is involved. Btw, Bush or any U.S. president can't declare a war. The power belongs to the Congress and they're the ones who can authorize a war. - As for "the poor Iraqis are paying the price and country is worse off than under Saddam", IMO, it depends how one looks at it. Does one view the freedom & democracy created as worse than the dictatorial ruling of Saddam? Or does one view the dictatorial ruling of Saddam as better over freedom & democracy? IMO, we can only see the results several yrs down the line. And yes, there's a bigger picture in all this. I wonder who's actually causing the Iraqis to pay the price? And who's making the country worse? The U.S. or the insurgents? The way i look at it, the U.S. already gave them freedom and democracy. It's now their duty as a people to work together & take responsibility to nurture it. - As for the WMD not being found til now and the war was really based on a "lie"...hmm, well, one can rely on sources to base his/her opinion. But ever heard of the possibility of the WMD being shipped out of Iraq into another country (prior to the invasion), just to hide the evidence?.. Now let's play suppose. Bush ignores the nearly unanimous intelligence community (yes, from many countries and way before Bush took office) on Iraq/Saddam possessing the WMD. He takes no action against Saddam. The dictator remains in power. The sanctions end (yes, Iraq was still under sanction). Saddam restarts his WMD program. The U.S. or other U.S. allied countries experience another 9/11 or worse on American soil. Our intel traces the attack back to Saddam. Congress demands investigations for Bush's "failure to heed the clear consensus of the intelligence community and to take appropriate action." Democrats and many Republicans then push for impeachment, based on negligence and malfeasance.
off-topic num 2. May you let us use 1-page, Uncle Loh? The history of US-Iraq (and other middle east countries), justifications, reasons are of course, debatable. And in the end of the day, we have to get back to our book, respectively. We got no place here to discuss that. Long story short - War in Iraq, for me offers no solution except more destruction and chaos. It may appear differently in few years to come, and maybe not. So, it's really a guessing game. The era of Saddam and recent situation in Iraq are not so much different- deaths of thousands of innocents. I think if both sides shares any similarity, it is their common rationale, that the deaths of thousand of innocent is a price worth paying to achieve one political ends.
Thank you FEND. It was a bit comical how "Singapore almost became a War Zone!" Just a slight correction to Singapore's election of the PM. The PM is a member of Parliament (MP) but he is chosen by a select group of MPs known as the Cabinet, which comprises the top leadership of the governing political party. My opinion is that all wars inevitably bring destruction, hardship and misery to many who are innocently involved. The bigger the war the greater the destruction. But tyrannical and evil governments also bring untold sadness, suffering and despair to their own people even during peace time and if left unchecked, they are no better than wars themselves. So how do we resolve the two? When will good leaders emerge to take over and bring back sanity and a ray of hope to the hopefuls? Do we need world leaders like the US to initiate such moves? Or do we wait till the local leaders themselves have the courage and means to make changes for the better? Somehow, men and women of courage and distinction will make a mark in history again to make things right. This may come about whether in war or peace, like through the popular vote in a democratic setting.
The PM cannot be chosen by the cabinet as the cabinet is actually under the control of the PM. Similar to the British parliamentary system, the PM and all cabinet ministers must themselves be members of parliament. Members of parliament are elected by the people during elections and they come from one or more political parties. The party with the largest majority in parliament will be asked by the head of state to lead the country and form a government. The head of state in Singapore is the president and it is he who appoints the leader of the largest party in parliament to be PM. The president also appoints all cabinet ministers, based on the recommendations of the PM. Despite the president's high-sounding role he is actually quite powerless, performing more of a ceremonial role like the British Queen or Malaysia's King. However, LKY did try to change the constitutuion to give the president some powerful veto powers, simply because he was eyeing to become president at one time. In Malaysia the opposite happened-the King lost his bark when Mahathir took his power away.
It was LKY who chose Goh Chok Tong to succeed him with the consent of his Cabinet ministers. In turn it was Goh Chok Tong who chose LHL, similarly with the agreement of his Cabinet. Sure after the selection of the PM, his name will be given to the President who will then "automatically" and "officially" appoints him. As you have said, "despite the president's high-sounding role he is actually quite powerless, performing more of a ceremonial role like the British Queen". From Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cabinet_of_Singapore The President appoints as Prime Minister an MP who, in his judgment, is likely to command the confidence of the majority of the MPs. In practice, the Prime Minister is usually the leader of the political party holding the majority of the seats in Parliament. How effective will it be if the President were given the sole discretion to select an MP as PM (as implied by you) who does not command respect and not popular with the Cabinet members? In most cases the President simply gives assent to what is proposed by the PM. I don't know where you got the idea from that LKY once aspired to become President, since you agree that the latter's role as head of state is almost powerless.
Off topic-Hmm.. ..okay, my last post on this mini discussion; don't want to steer this away from Loh's thread.. ..again, as i mentioned, there's a much, much more bigger picture to all these conflicts, wars, unrests.. In relation to that CWW movie, another reason for the current dilemma in Iraq is that the U.S. doesn't want to leave another vacuum like what happened after the Soviets were ousted after trying to occupy Afghanistan. For some, the vacuum bred what the U.S. is facing with now. Thus the fight to form & nurture a democratic environment/culture in Iraq. *koo_fan, which one would you prefer? Fighting and sacrificing lives for the sake of freedom, liberty and democracy or fighting for the sake of dictatorship, tyranny and oppression? Some links if anyone's interested: http://townhall.com/columnists/LarryElder/2006/03/02/bush_lied,_people_died http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLVlpTO40P0 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CToDZaUbKsI Just my opinion on those questions: - It will not be resolved because we are all imperfect humans trying to create an environment that's perfect. Human nature. We can try & try & try, but there won't be anything resolved. - There had been a few "good leaders" in the past who tried their best by bravely and sacrificially fought for the sake of freedom. - Remember WWII??.. - On the last question, it depends on the type of system a country is run on. As far as i can see, only a democratic type environment will yield better results. And usually the ones who make real changes are the people, not the leaders. Once the people get what they want, they usually will put someone in "power" to keep and continue what they have fought for (of course, we know, the leaders will take advantage of the power given to them). To an extent, it can only happen if there's an environment for the people to express and voice their needs.
Singapore - A top choice for migrants The Straits Times Nov 5, 2009 Gallup index shows Singapore population would jump to 13m if it takes in all who wished to come here By Lin Zhaowei SINGAPORE is a top immigration hot spot, according to a global survey conducted by Gallup. If it were to take in all adults who wish to settle in the country, its adult population of 3.6 million would jump to 13 million, said the survey released this week. Gallup arrived at this figure by using what it called the Potential Net Migration Index (PNMI). The index is the estimated number of adults who wish to leave a country permanently subtracted from the estimated number who wish to immigrate to the country, as a proportion of the total adult population. The higher a positive PNMI value, the greater the potential of net population gain, proportional to the population size. Singapore emerged tops with the highest PNMI value of 260 per cent, followed by Saudi Arabia (180 per cent), New Zealand (175 per cent), Canada (170 per cent) and Australia (145 per cent). Where migrants want to go to Countries with highest PNMI* 1. Singapore (+260 per cent) 2. Saudi Arabia (+180 per cent) 3. New Zealand (+175 per cent) 4. Canada (+170 per cent) 5. Australia (+145 per cent) Top destinations (by country) 1. United States 2. Canada 3. Britain 4. France 5. Spain Top sources of potential migrants (by region) 1. Sub-Saharan Africa 2. Middle East and North Africa 3. Europe 4. Americas 5. Asia Singapore emerged tops with the highest PNMI value of 260 per cent, followed by Saudi Arabia (180 per cent), New Zealand (175 per cent), Canada (170 per cent) and Australia (145 per cent). -- PHOTO: REUTERS
The Malaysian PM is not elected by either the people or Parliament. Our PM has to come from UMNO, the major ruling component party. The president of UMNO is our PM. And the president of UMNO is selected thru the ballot by UMNO members via 1500 delegates. In short, 1500 UMNO members decides who become our Malaysian PM. Yes, the power belongs to the congress but the President is the Commander in Chief. I dont know about the US giving freedom and democracy to the Iraqis. I guess it depends on which side of the fence you are on. I mean the US too tried to give their version of freedom and democracy to the Vietnamese. I understand the tonnage of bombs and shells used during WW2 was around 5 million tons while during the Vietnam war it was 14 million tons. Whether it was freedom or democracy, I think we got to ask them Vietnamese, especially those who are still suffering from the after effects of agent orange. I believe no one want or like their homes to be bombed or see their loved ones killed. And I believe this is universal all round. When the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbour, you lot were jumping in anger and foaming at the mouth. I believe the feeling is mutual for those Iraqis who had their homes destroyed and their loved ones killed. As for the Iraq situation, we need to establish that Iraq is an independant sovereign nation. Whether Saddam is a dictator or not, again I say it depends from which angle one sees things. In Iraq, maybe you need someone like Saddam to rule with an iron fist so that the various warlords and tribes all toe the line. It is safe to assumed that the Iraq war has costs over 800,000 lives and I doubt under Saddam iron fisted rule, the man killed or butchered 800,000 Iraqis. I am not suppprting Saddam nor I am saying he is a good chap. I am saying that there are times when we need a dictator to lead us. But then, what kind of dictator are we talking about? There are malevolent dictators and there are benevolent dictators. As for the WMD, I agree there is a possibility that it may all been smuggled out just before the outbreak of war. But I must also say that I find this a little strange as well because the US and its deputy Sheriff, UK have the best fancy up to date space age technologies like spy satellites, eye in the sky gadgets and 007 James Bond (from UK) all having their eyes glued on Iraq. I am sure Bush was kept updated each time Saddam went to the toilet to take a dump. Plus, WMD is not like a packet of Durex condoms where you can easily put it in your pocket and walk across customs. Whether it was the US or the insurgents that made Iraq worse off today, we just need to determine who, whether it is the US or insurgents (freedom fighters to some) who has the biggest bombs, latest weapons, tanks, planes etc etc. Its funny, we called Iraqis who took up arms against the US, insurgents. They had their country invaded by some foreign forces, homes destroyed, family and loved ones killed. They are now fighting for their freedom and we called them insurgents. This is bad. War is not the right solution because at the end of the day it will be the normal everyday people and children who will be the victims. We are lucky we are not Iraqis or US soldiers fighting in Iraq. As humans, we just dont seem to learn. All the great world wars didnt taught us anything. 9/11 proved that no one likes to be bombed or see family killed. And I believe that will the our downfall.
Aduh! Bukan main susah jadi pemuda kat sini Ok la ... I like Singapore. I can go to Orchard road for a walkabout. And while walking around Orchard Road, I will go look for the nearest Moss burger outlet for a snack. But a must do for me along Orchard road is to walk all the way to Rendezvous Hotel for their world famous Nasi Padang.
SembCorp Marine High-tech yard The Straits Times Nov 5, 2009 $750m hub in Tuas is designed to boost competitive edge By Alvin Foo SEMBCORP Marine has unveiled plans to build Singapore's first integrated yard facility, in a move designed to boost its competitive edge and ready itself for the upturn. Located at Tuas View Extension, the state-of-the-art yard will occupy 206ha and be built on reclaimed land in three phases over 16 years. Work on the first phase - costing $750 million - will start next month and is expected to be completed in four years. The remaining two phases will be developed over a 12-year period. The yard will serve as a one-stop hub for ship repair and conversion, shipbuilding, rig building and offshore engineering and construction. Speaking at a briefing yesterday, SembMarine chief executive Wong Weng Sun said: 'It's the best time to build - and it's crucial, not only in the business sense, but also for the future.' He added that the yard will leave SembMarine well positioned to respond to forecast growth in dock capacity demand and to a rise in offshore oil and gas activities, which will be spurred by projected increases in Asian seaborne and oil trades. JTC Corp chairman Cedric Foo said: 'It's not only a key project for Sembcorp Marine, but also a major milestone for Singapore.' Economic Development Board chairman Leo Yip said: 'The state-of-the-art facility will sharpen our competitive edge, and it demonstrates how Singapore continues to stay at the forefront of the global marine and offshore industry through constant innovation and modernisation. Designed to serve a wide range of vessels, SembMarine's new yard (shown in model below) will boost its total dock capacity by 62 per cent when fully completed. -- PHOTO: SEMBCORP MARINE
I love Spore.. it is like my 2nd home. Everything is so convenient so unlike in KL which i think is slightly better now. It is a good city to live in. However i have not live there for a long time period before. Maybe i should live there for a month or so..and see how it goes. But people always say.. it is not the country that you live in.. it is the people you live with.
A*Star in Genome project The Straits Times Nov 5, 2009 Project will benefit research and conservation efforts around the world SCIENTISTS from A*Star's Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB) are participating in an international genome project to create a collection of tissue and DNA samples for 10,000 species of animals. As part of the research, which will benefit research and conservation efforts around the world, they will also help to sequence their genomes and analyse them to reveal their complete genetic heritage. Led by Professor Byrappa Venkatesh, who heads the Comparative Genomics Laboratory at IMCB and who is one of the chairpersons of the Genome 10K committee, the A*Star scientists are part of an international team of about 70 leading scientists from major zoos, museums, research centres and universities in North and South America, Europe, Asia and Australia. The project aims to build up an invaluable repository of DNA sequences for conducting comparative studies on a scale never done before, enabling scientists to understand the genetic basis of adaptive changes that occur in vertebrates and predict how animals respond to climate change, pollution, emerging diseases, and competition, and thus help in conservation efforts. Having complete animal genomes at hand will also enable scientists to compare animal and human genomes, and reconstruct the evolutionary history of the human and other vertebrate genomes. Nobel Laureate Dr Sydney Brenner, who is Scientific Advisor to A*Star Chairman and co-heads the IMCB laboratory with Prof Venkatesh, said: 'The most challenging intellectual problem in biology for this century will be the reconstruction of our biological past so we can understand how complex organisms such as ourselves evolved. Genomes contain information from the past - they are molecular fossils - and having sequences from vertebrates will be an essential source of rich information.' The A*Star scientists participating in the international genome project will be led by Professor Byrappa Venkatesh (below). -- PHOTO: ZAOBAO
Had Sabah n Sarawak joined Singapore rather than the Federation of Malaysia, I dont mind migrating to Singapore.
