Forget What You Know: Babies Are Way Smarter Than You Think

by Eric Steinman Aug 26, 2009

New studies clearly demonstrate that babies and very young children know, observe, explore, imagine and learn more than we would ever have thought possible. In many significant ways, they are even smarter than adults. I will tell you honestly and quite upfront, this is not the first time I have reported on these sorts of findings. Actually, just a few months back I blogged about how babies, as well as young children, experience the world via an extremely wide spectrum of sensation, as opposed to the miniscule sliver of sentient reality that we adults experience. So why am I treading old ground and covering this subject yet again? Well to draw attention to more elaborate studies by Alison Gopnik, professor of psychology at UC Berkeley, and to remind our adult readers (who may have missed it the first time) what is actually going in the intricate and Byzantine minds of babies everywhere.

As mentioned above, Alison Gopnik, as well as being a psych professor, is also author of the newly published The Philosophical Baby which investigates the exploratory and analytic nature of the young child’s mind. Counter to what was previous assumed, that babies were just blank slates of blooming and buzzing confusion, Gopnik points out that babies have an astonishing capacity for statistical reasoning, experimental discovery and probabilistic logic, which enables them to learn about the myriad of objects and people surrounding them with greater depth and efficiency than previously assumed (I could go into case studies and particular experiments here, but you would be best served reading it first hand rather than slogging through my abbreviated accounts).

The truly notable meaning to gather from all this, is not that we all now need to spend the remainder of our diminishing paychecks on new fangled programs and products that will make our babies even smarter, but we need to encourage babies and toddlers to remain curious and continue to explore their surroundings. At this age, they are not as specifically focused and goal oriented as their eager parents, and the learning they do on their own, when they carefully watch and unexpected outcome and draw new conclusions from say, a set of car keys or a cup of spilled water, is radically different than how adults view and consider learning. Babies (and this is the truly wonderfully subversive part of the whole message) can learn an enormous amount from simple items (bowls, blocks, items from nature, etc) and simple interactions, that have nothing to do with “enriching” educational toys, games, and DVDs.

So, clear the decks, save your money and allow your child to learn, not in the rigid way adults do, but in the experiential way young children need to.

Israeli scientists find way to combat forged DNA

by Ron Bousso (AFP)

JERUSALEM. Israeli scientists have developed new technology to fight biological identity theft after realising that DNA evidence found at crime scenes can be easily falsified.

The researchers showed that with the use of basic equipment and know-how, anyone can obtain artificial DNA that can be incorporated into genuine human blood or saliva, or directly planted at a crime scene.

"Current forensic procedure fails to distinguish between such samples of blood, saliva and touched surfaces with artificial DNA," the scientists wrote in an article recently published by "Forensic Science International: Genetics," a scientific journal.

Elon Ganor is CEO and co-founder of Nucleix, an Israeli company specialised in DNA analysis that conducted the research. She says it doesn't take much to produce large quantities of artificial DNA.

"You can take a used cup of coffee or a cigarette butt, send it to a laboratory, and for a relatively small sum of money have their DNA identified, produced and sent back to you in a test tube," he told AFP on Wednesday.

The DNA samples, which are produced using a standard technique called whole genome amplification, can then be planted at a crime scene.

Researchers at Nucleix also demonstrated how one could implant DNA into real blood by using a centrifuge to separate red and white blood cells and placing the DNA in the former, giving the blood a new profile.

As part of the experiment, a sample of the modified blood was sent to a laboratory in the United States that works with FBI forensic teams, which failed to catch the forgery, Ganor said.

To combat the practice, Nucleix has developed a DNA authentication method that distinguishes between real and fake samples.

"We have come up with a solution that should become an integral part of the standard DNA tests today and seal the hole that has been opened in what has become the gold-s ...

新流感疫苗或致命

医又难，不医又难！你敢接受疫苗吗？H1N1在几十年前曾经出现，却当时已经受到控制。为何现在又再出现？这不由得我不相信阴谋论了！

英國‧新流感疫苗或致命‧致函神經病學家要求關注
2009-08-17 17:11

（英國‧倫敦）英國衛生防護局最近以機密信函方式，發函給約600名神經病學家，警告最新的新流感疫苗，可能引發致命神經疾病酖基連巴瑞症候群（Guillain-Barre Syndrome，GBS），要求他們在新疫苗開始施打後，注意這類病患的增加情形。

英國《每日郵報》週日（8月16日）取得機密信件公諸於世，引起民眾譁然，質問當局為何不在疫苗施打前，告知民眾這項訊息。英國預定10月開始讓第一批約1300萬人接種新疫苗。

信函日期為7月29日，它凸顯出英國最高管理當局對新流感疫苗可能產生嚴重併發症的關切。GBS會影響神經內膜，造成癱瘓、呼吸困難。

信函提及1976年美國施打H1N1流感疫苗後，出現的多種情況，包括死於接種疫苗的人多於新流感的死亡病例；總共有500個GBS病例發生等。

星洲日報／國際‧2009.08.17
http://sinchew.com.my/node/126875?tid=2

DNA Evidence Can Be Fabricated

NEW YORK, Aug 18 — Scientists in Israel have demonstrated that it is possible to fabricate DNA evidence, undermining the credibility of what has been considered the gold standard of proof in criminal cases.

The scientists fabricated blood and saliva samples containing DNA from a person other than the donor of the blood and saliva. They also showed that if they had access to a DNA profile in a database, they could construct a sample of DNA to match that profile without obtaining any tissue from that person.

“You can just engineer a crime scene,” said Dan Frumkin, lead author of the paper, which has been published online by the journal Forensic Science International: Genetics. “Any biology undergraduate could perform this.”

Frumkin is a founder of Nucleix, a company based in Tel Aviv that has developed a test to distinguish real DNA samples from fake ones that it hopes to sell to forensics laboratories.

The planting of fabricated DNA evidence at a crime scene is only one implication of the findings. A potential invasion of personal privacy is another.

Using some of the same techniques, it may be possible to scavenge anyone’s DNA from a discarded drinking cup or cigarette butt and turn it into a saliva sample that could be submitted to a genetic testing company that measures ancestry or the risk of getting various diseases. Celebrities might have to fear “genetic paparazzi,” said Gail H. Javitt of the Genetics and Public Policy Centre at Johns Hopkins University.

Tania Simoncelli, science adviser to the American Civil Liberties Union, said the findings were worrisome.

“DNA is a lot easier to plant at a crime scene than fingerprints,” she said. “We’re creating a criminal justice system that is increasingly relying on this technology.”
John M. Butler, leader of the human identity testing project at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, said he was “impressed at how well they were able to fabricate the fake DNA profiles.” However, he added, “I think your average criminal wouldn’t be able to do something like that.”

The scientists fabricated DNA samples two ways. One required a real, if tiny, DNA sample, perhaps from a strand of hair or drinking cup. They amplified the tiny sample into a large quantity of DNA using a standard technique called whole genome amplification.

Of course, a drinking cup or piece of hair might itself be left at a crime scene to frame someone, but blood or saliva may be more believable.
The authors of the paper took blood from a woman and centrifuged it to remove the white cells, which contain DNA. To the remaining red cells they added DNA that had been amplified from a man’s hair.

Since red cells do not contain DNA, all of the genetic material in the blood sample was from the man. The authors sent it to a leading American forensics laboratory, which analysed it as if it were a normal sample of a man’s blood.
The other technique relied on DNA profiles, stored in law enforcement databases as a series of numbers and letters corresponding to variations at 13 spots in a person’s genome.

From a pooled sample of many people’s DNA, the scientists cloned tiny DNA snippets representing the common variants at each spot, creating a library of such snippets. To prepare a DNA sample matching any profile, they just mixed the proper snippets together. They said that a library of 425 different DNA snippets would be enough to cover every conceivable profile.

Nucleix’s test to tell if a sample has been fabricated relies on the fact that amplified DNA — which would be used in either deception — is not methylated, meaning it lacks certain molecules that are attached to the DNA at specific points, usually to inactivate genes. — NYT

Source: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/index.php/world/35418-dna-evidence-can-be-fabricated

“一日之计在于寅”看大马人健康

《增广贤文》说：“一年之计在于春，一日之计在于寅。”我曾经在《星洲日报》“沟通平台”诠释“一日之计在于寅”说，以前华人祖宗很勤奋，寅时（凌晨3至5点）就起床计划一整天的了，其实不然。

近来海内外华人大热《皇帝内经》课题，我也不落人后去研读。书籍令我举一反三，连贯上述古人智言。我惊讶中国古人对人体的操作拥有浩瀚知识，使人看到从古至今人得到无谓的病痛乃因无知而糟蹋身体所致。

上帝赋予人类十二经脉，也设定各自不同时辰来值班。寅时是肺经值班的时辰，这是决定人一天的时辰，所以是最重要的时辰。《皇帝内经》是以肺经为开始，顺序是：肺、大肠、胃、脾、心、小肠、膀胱、肾、心包、三焦、胆和肝。

寅时是人最熟睡时，肺经之所以最重要乃它在此时辰开始重新分配气血气血，心需要多少，胃需要多少等等。我们的十二经脉需要来正常操作，尤其排毒气脏不能少了气，否则排毒功能就脆弱。

如果说我们的心脏很重要的话，那么肺比它更重要。如果心是君主的话，肺则是心的老师。圣经说当上帝用尘土造了亚当后是个死人，直至上帝将生气吹进他的鼻孔里，气进入肺使它操作，心也跟着操作，他就成为一个有灵的活人。任何疾病若并发而感染肺的话都有性命的危险，譬如目前的H1N1流感很显著，病毒侵袭病患肺脏导致肺炎使之丧命。

肺在寅时重新分配全体气血，所以“一日之计在于寅”真是古人智慧。如果人不能在寅时熟睡的话是很危险的，大多数人猝死是在这时辰，乃因在不能熟睡的情形下，心不能获得充足的气血而爆发心脏病。

人能够熬夜至凌晨一两点，但凌晨3到5点是最难熬的。我越来越担心大马人的“不夜天”生活习惯。在大城市，在半夜12点、1点，仍然有许多车辆奔驰在公路上。24小时营业的餐馆和便利店如雨后春笋冒起，年轻人在凌晨还相约去享受“拉茶”。

这样的大马人生活并不是享受，而是身心灵的重担。我非常羡慕老外，他们做工少少却收入多多。他们做工朝九晚五，晚上大多数的商店都停止营业；而周六和周日则游山玩水去，这才是享受！

凌晨3到5点是人睡得最熟时间，但鼠辈却无耻利用它来造案。大马人除了承受“不夜天”的苦外，基于我国罪案猖獗，许多人都保持一个半睡眠的状态，以提防鼠辈的造访。唉，难怪我国只有少少人口，但有精神问题的人却多达500万！

人的健康取决于其免疫力，你一天有好的气血分配开始的话，该天就有坚毅的免疫力。当你的气脏能够抗御更多病毒，加上排毒功能高的话，真能够达到百病不侵的状况呢！

Satay night with James and Cecilia 与詹斯民和黄芝婷沙爹之夜

James and Cecilia Chiam came to Malaysia from USA for a holiday. They asked me to bring them to Kajang for satay earlier on in the email. I told them that we needed not to travel all the way to Kajang as there are good satays around town.

My family and I felt honored as they looked up on us. They are good Christians who are fervent for the Lord. Cecilia is a renowned writer among the Chinese-speaking folks worldwide. She is a well-sought-after writer by newspaper columns.

On Aug 13 evening, I brought them to Sate Kajang Hj Samuri at 79, Jalan SS21/37, Damansara Utama Uptown. We had a good fellowship though the foods were not really that good.

When satays were prepared in mass production, usually they were done hastily. The better the business, the worse the presentation, e.g. the foods are served cool, sometimes uncooked, as well as juice lost.

I usually enjoyed road-side-satays, though usually I have to wait a bit longer, as the food would be slowly fanned and flipped, and finally served hot from the charcoal stove.

Well, it is true that the best satays are still found in Kajang. It is best simply for the same reason that they are served hot. Next time you see the shops having a big crowd and the workers are doing mass production, please shun the shop.

詹斯民和黄芝婷从美国来马来西亚度假。他们早前在电邮叫我带他们去加影吃沙爹。我告诉他们我们不必去到老远的加影，因为在市镇都可吃到加影沙爹。

我和家人感到荣幸因为他们看重我们。他们是好基督徒，为主热心。黄芝婷是全世界读中文者都知晓的作家。她是中文报专栏的热门作者。

8月13日傍晚我们带他们到百沙罗乌打玛 Sate Kajang Hj Samuri 门牌79号享用沙爹。虽然食物并不是那么好，我们有美好的沟通。

当沙爹大量地被生产，它们都在仓促的情形下进行。生意越好，呈现就越差，譬如端上的是凉了的食物，有时不熟，及汁消失了。

虽然我须要等更久，但我通常喜欢路边的沙爹，因为食物被慢慢地拨扇和翻转，最后就滚热辣地出炭炉上桌。

不错最好的沙爹仍然在加影找到。它是最好的乃因同样的热辣端上的道理。下回你看到店铺满座，而工人则忙于大量生产的话，请避开该店。

Perception

Washington, DC Metro Station on a cold January morning. A man with a violin plays six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time approx. 2 thousand people passed through the station, most of them on their way to work. After 3 minutes a middle-aged man noticed there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried to meet his schedule.

4 minutes later:
The violinist received his first dollar: a woman threw the money in the hat and, without stopping, continued to walk.

6 minutes:
A young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again.

10 minutes:
A 3-year old boy stopped but his mother tugged him along hurriedly. The kid stopped to look at the violinist again, but the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. Every parent, without exception, forced their children to move on quickly.

45 minutes:
The musician played continuously. Only 6 people stopped and listened for a short while. About 20 gave money but continued to walk at their normal pace. The man collected a total of $32.

1 hour:
He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.

No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the greatest musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin valued at $3.5 million dollars. Two days before, Joshua Bell sold out a theater in Boston where the price of seats averaged $100.

This is a true story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and people's priorities. The questions raised: in a commonplace environment at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context?

One possible conclusion reached from this experiment could be this: If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world, playing some of the finest music ever written, with one of the most beautiful instruments ever made... what else are we missing?
_________________________________________________________________
People's perception is always this: Renowned figures will never become like an ordinary person who will do the humblest stuff.

凯里再显他本色

从雪州回教党呼吁禁酒课题，给凯里两件事情发挥：一、凯里星期五主办一个讲座抗衡 “行动党的反回教”课题。他声称回教徒被行动党领袖的态度伤害。凯里几时开始那么关心禁酒课题呢？他现在竟然变成反酒英雄呢！二、凯里号召回教党退出民联，因为前者不再获得民联尊重。

他曾经被多家媒体访问，关于308大选成绩，其中讲过“我对国阵感到伤心，但我对于民主和马来西亚人感到高兴。”他真的讲出真心话吗？不，他是一个种族和宗教的极端者。他从英国牛津大学毕业，但没有学到英国人的民主。他倒首相纳吉的“一个马来西亚”的饭碗。

凯里在《星洲日报》的访问，也表示跟华裔要好。不过为何他向回教党拨火，使回教党的党员憎恨非回教徒和非马来人？

当然，凯里关于“行动党污辱回教”的这番话不会归纳为煽动性言论。人们在308大选前看到凯里的宗教和种族极端，即使他大选后很会掩饰，但因为从来不为自己过错醒觉，所以现在终于再显他狰狞本色。

在凯里呼吁回教党退出民联所给的借口上，他说回教党不再获得民联尊重。那么我呼吁回教党去问巫统的其他伙伴党，到底它们获得巫统尊重吗？它们几十年来都受到巫统压迫，哪来尊重？回教党也须再问问巫统的回教徒尊重吉兰丹的回教徒吗？

所以，凯里是最虚伪的政客，一个投机者。这个四楼的前首相军师，是造成308大学国阵失利的罪人之一。所以，奉劝凯里多点关心自己的政途，因为你下届大选能否被派上阵还是未知数呢！

The Healing Power of Pets

posted by Megan, selected from Ode magazine Aug 4, 2009
http://www.care2.com/greenliving/the-healing-power-of-pets.html

A unique American organization, Helping Hands Monkeys, trains monkeys to help paralyzed people function better in their daily lives. Many who are paralyzed spend hours each day by themselves, so the monkeys can be important in helping them get along without professional caregivers as well as a source of companionship. The monkeys bring food and drinks, help feed the paralyzed person, pick things up that are out of reach, put on a CD or video, and turn lights on and off.

While monkeys are exceptional in what they can do, all kinds of pets have a positive, healing effect on their owners. Studies reveal that having a pet is a better remedy against high blood pressure than commonly prescribed medications. A pet appears to be the strongest social indicator in predicting recovery from a serious heart condition. More and more often, doctors prescribe a pet for loneliness, depression, stress and other emotional problems. In the United States, half of all doctors reported they sometimes prescribe a pet to their patients.
Studies show that older people with pets pay considerably fewer visits to the doctor. Up to 16 percent less, according to Professor Judith Siegel of the School of Public Health at the University of California. That percentage is even higher for dog owners, reaching over 20 percent. According to Australian research, the presence of house pets in households saves the Australian government some 800 million to 1.5 billion US dollars a year in health costs.

Psychologists have long realized the healing power of pets. In the 1950s child psychologist Boris Levinson often had difficulty reaching his traumatized patients, until the day that his dog Jingles wandered into the treatment room, His young clients were pleased and spontaneously opened themselves up to the dog, and thus also to Levinson. He was the first to write about “the dog as co-therapist.”
Forty years later, many therapists make grateful use of the intimate bond between humans and animals. People experience pets as non-judgmental and unconditional in their affection, and so clients often consider the animal an ally, which helps foster a spirit of mutual trust and open sharing in therapy sessions. Because animals are often funny or endearing, they help dissipate the tension around a therapy session. Children, in particular, often talk more easily to an animal than a human. Sometimes all the therapist has to do is bring up an issue and then observe where the child and animal take it.

There are countless well-documented examples of successful animal-assisted therapy. A little boy who begins to heal his partially paralyzed hand by petting a dog. Abused children and prisoners who train a dog to learn how to not repeat the abusive behavior they have experienced. Autistic children who learn to communicate through contact with dolphins.

Animals have the potential to play a much greater role, particularly in hospitals and care institutions. A friendly dog can perform miracles with critically ill patients. Even a few fish in a fishbowl helps ease tensions in a dentist’s waiting room. Research has repeatedly shown that taking care of an animal (or even a plant) makes people happier and helps them live longer. Could this be because animals and plants can listen so well without ever contradicting us? A study of Canadian doctors once discovered that listening is the most important ingredient in healing. Dr. Samuel Corson, an expert in the area of animal therapy at Ohio State University puts it this way: “A dog is man’s best friend because he wags his tail and not his tongue.”

美国营养学家为椰油“平反” 纯椰油更健康

椰子树是热带地区常见的树木。从椰肉中提炼出的椰油，是很多热带地区人民经常食用的油脂。在椰油中含有90%的饱和脂肪，而摄取饱和脂肪含量高的食物是导致高胆固醇和心脏病的主要原因之一，因此一般人认为多吃椰油有损健康。

但是美国椰子研究中心主席、营养学家兼自然疗法医生布鲁斯·费佛最近表示，这种看法是不正确的。他说，刚开始他也以为椰油对健康有害，但在研究了大量文献资料之后发现，未经加工的纯椰油实际上比一般食用油更健康。

他解释说，饱和脂肪有很多种，而椰油中的饱和脂肪是可以预防心脏病的一种。在研究世界各国人民的饮食习惯和健康状况时，不难发现，饮食中常有椰子或椰油成分的民族是世界上心脏病患病率最低的。

费佛指出，各类脂肪中有98%属于长链脂肪酸，但纯椰油却是中链脂肪酸。因为中链脂肪酸的分子结构比长链脂肪酸的生物分子短，因此椰油比较容易被肠胃分解和消化，促进新陈代谢。长链脂肪酸能够通过肠胃壁被血液吸收，成为低密度胆固醇或称“坏胆固醇”，而椰油则不会这样。因此，椰油不会造成血管栓塞，也就不会导致心脏病。

费佛的临床经验表明，纯椰油对一些病人恢复健康有着一定的帮助，而这样的效果不只出现在心脏病病人身上，糖尿病、皮肤病等病人也同样受益。他举例说：“糖尿病患者体内的细胞会因为胰岛素不平衡而无法摄取所需的营养。除了椰油以外，所有其他油脂都要有一定的胰岛素存在才能把能量传到细胞里，使之继续存活。因此，椰油可以避免糖尿病人的健康进一步恶化。”

费佛的实践结果还发现，椰油不仅可用于防治心脏病和其他心血管疾病，还可以用于防治流行性感冒，阻止胆囊感染，消除持续性疲倦和缓解痔疮。还有资料显示，椰油可以防治消化道溃疡，减缓前列腺增生，治疗皮肤病，抑制丙型肝炎甚至癌症和艾滋病等。

来源: http://news.xinhuanet.com/health/2006-06/21/content_4725904.htm
摘自"北京青年报"

49th Anniversary of ISA 内安法令49周年

Today 1st of Aug is the 49th Anniversary of Internal Security Act. The Abolish ISA Movement (GMI) called for a march from various meeting points in Kuala Lumpur to the National Palace. And a memorandum will be handed over to the King.

Many roads leading to KL city were set up with road blocks. And roads were closed too. Most of the crowd resorted to public transport. They walked by detours just by avoiding the police. Such a spirit in walking long distances has indeed conveyed a message to the Federal Authorities.

The crowd came to a figure of 20,000. The police prevented the people from moving forward. At 4.00 p.m they rounded up the people at Sogo Mall and Masjid Jamek LRT Station and firing tear gas and shooting chemical-laced water canons. Even when the people fleed into the nearby buildings, the canons were shot into the compounds. In fact, earlier there have been several rounds of firing the tear gas. By 6.00 p.m 438 people were arrested.

Najib the Prime Minister said the rally was unnecessary as the people could have given their opinions for a review of the Act. The problem is, people wanted an abolishment and not a review of the Act. No matter how you amend the Act, it is still an Act. It is likened to "changing the soup but not the medicine".

Locking up people without trial is against human rights. If the government thinks a particular person has committed a crime, why can't it proves itself right by bringing him or her to court?

Nazri, Minister in the PM's department, said that as long as BN is in power, ISA would not be abolished. Such a statement is not surprising as BN has been abusing its power all the while. I believed that a good government should always listen to the people.

今天8月1日是内安法令49周年。《废除内安法令运动》召集在吉隆坡市中心不同地点集会，以便步行至国家皇宫提呈一份备忘录给最高元首。

许多通往吉隆坡的路都有警察路障。许多路也被封锁了。许多人选择使用公共交通工具。他们绕道而行乃为了避开警察。如此行走长路途的精神真的是向联邦权势传达一个信息。

人群有2万。警方阻止了人群前进。在下午4时，警方包围Sogo广场和Jamek 回教堂高架轻快铁车站，并大肆发射摧泪弹和喷击加入了化学药的水炮。甚至人群逃入附近的建筑物，还把水炮喷击入里头。其实较早前已经发射几轮水炮了。至傍晚6时有438人被逮捕。

首相纳吉说集会根本是不需要的，人民大可提出意见以检讨法令。问题是，人民要的是法令的一个废除，而不是一个检讨。无论你怎样修改法令，它仍然是一个法令。它就好比换汤不换药。

没有提审一个人就把关起来乃违反人权。如果政府认为某人犯了罪的话，为何它不能藉着带他或她上法庭以证明它自己是对的？

首相暑部长纳兹里说只要国阵还执政，内安法令就不会被废除。这番话并并令人感到惊讶，因为一路来它滥用了它的权柄。我相信一个好的政府应该时常听人民。

















Pictures from “Malaysian Insider”
照片从《马来西亚局内人》