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| Posted: May.09.2007 @ 11:59 am |
2007/04/04
Raja Nazrin: This country belongs to all Malaysians
Raja Muda of Perak Raja Nazrin Shah addressing the Young Malaysians’ Roundtable Discussion on National Unity and Development in Malaysia. |
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia belongs to all Malaysians equally, and all have an equal right and responsibility to take ownership of their country and its future, the Raja Muda of Perak said here yesterday.
Raja Nazrin Shah said Malaysians needed to realise they all had a vital role in building a strong nation.
The first of seven steps he defined towards this end was a sense of belonging and a common destiny, binding Malay- sians of all races, religions and origins together in a common purpose.
"Only when each citizen believes that he or she has a common home and is working towards a common destiny will he or she make the sacrifices needed for the long haul," Raja Nazrin said yesterday, in a keynote address on "Prospects and Challenges for Nation-building" at the Young Malaysians’ Roundtable Discussion on National Unity and Development in Malaysia.
The event was organised by the Bar Council and the Asian Strategy and Leadership Institute (Asli).
Raja Nazrin said the Federal Constitution, the Rukunegara and Vision 2020 encapsulated the rights, hopes and aspirations of the population in a way that no other documents could.
"The integrity of these documents must be defended and promoted, especially the first (the Federal Constitution)," he said.
Step Two: Don’t just wish away problems, as nation-building is premised on the fact that there are differences in society.
"If we all walked, talked and thought the same, it would probably not be needed. There will, unfortunately, be chauvinistic groups here, just as there are in others.
"They will fight the idea of national unity, block social change and try to be politically dominant. The existence of these groups, however, does not mean that nation-building is a futile exercise."
What it meant, rather, was that Malaysians needed to be prepared to negotiate their way through and around these differences.
Raja Nazrin suggested the creation of social movements to enlighten the people and deny popular support to chauvinists who impeded national unity.
Step Three: Nation-building required accommodation and compromise.
"In our haste to be prescriptive, we should not be so idealistic that we are incapable of also being practical. We should not allow perfection to be the enemy of the good.
"Yes, we should seek the best solutions and expect the highest standards of performance, but we should also be prepared to sacrifice some part of our positions for the good of the whole."
Raja Nazrin said individuals ended up worse off when they acted out of self-interest and not in their collective group interest.
Step Four: Avoid enforced solutions, as coercion or threats of violence would nullify nation-building.
He emphasised that might was not equal to right.
Solutions, he said, had to be found within the political and social structures, as the alternative could lead to a strong temptation to resort to illegitimate ways and means.
Nation-building required society to be open, tolerant and forward-looking, he added.
"So important are these values that they are embedded in Vision 2020’s nine strategic challenges, as are those of a mature democracy, a caring society and innovation."
Step Five: Inclusiveness, to enable the various sectors of society to be productively engaged.
Malaysians need to guard against all forms of extremism, chauvinism, racism and isolationism. In this respect, there should also be social, political and legal sanctions, he added.
"Nation-building is a process rather than an outcome. When Malaysia started off 50 years ago, there were no examples to study. There were no manuals to follow.
"While a sense of impatience is perhaps fully understandable, nation-building takes place over a period of time and only with persistence."
Raja Nazrin said trust had to be built where there was none, and co-operation established where it was absent.
"Building on layers of foundation is the only way to ensure that the process is solid and sustainable," he said.
Step Six: Political, social and economic incentives should exist to reward good behaviour and penalise bad.
"I know this statement is self-evident, but it is a fact that many countries are as likely to punish good behaviour as to reward it," he said.
"After all, if there are benefits for corruption, then there is a real cost to being honest."
The incentives for building a nation must be greater and more compelling than breaking it down, he said.
The Raja Muda said the price of racial and cultural intolerance should be made prohibitively high.
Step Seven: The greatest challenge to nation-building was balancing the need for change with that of continuity, particularly in facing globalisation.
Globalisation, Raja Nazrin said, had unleashed sweeping economic, political, social and cultural transformations that had weakened national institutions, values and norms.
On leaders of the future, Raja Nazrin said that able young people needed to be mentored. "The young should be allowed to make mistakes along the way as part of the overall learning process."
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| Posted: May.09.2007 @ 11:50 am |
Raja Nazrin’s bride: Chemical engineer to wed Raja Muda
09 May, 2007
KUALA LUMPUR: Zara Salim Davidson is a first-class honours graduate in chemical engineering, a certified lifesaver, a state swimmer, a member of her school’s squash and tennis teams, and, now, she will be married on May 17 to one of the country’s most eligible bachelors — the Raja Muda of Perak, Raja Dr Nazrin Shah. Zara, 34, was born in Ipoh on March 22, 1973, the youngest and only girl of four children, to William Davidson and Sharifah Azaliah Syed Omar Shahabudin.
Her bio-data, released by the national news agency Bernama, says Zara has a strong interest in foreign languages.
Her early schooling was at SMJK Convent in Ipoh which she represented in squash and tennis from 1988 to 1990.
She also represented her home state Perak in swimming between 1981 and 1987.
After completing her A-levels in 1992, she left to study chemical engineering at Nottingham University — by coincidence, also the alma mater of her father-in-law to be, Sultan Azlan Shah.
The Sultan of Perak read law at Nottingham and was conferred the Bachelor of Laws degree in 1953 before being admitted to the English Bar in 1954.
Zara excelled in Nottingham University. She won the top student award for her final year project and graduated with first-class honours in chemical engineering in July 1995.
Zara joined national oil company Petronas in December 1995 and was a member of the team responsible for successfully establishing the Kertih and Kuantan integrated petrochemical complexes, whose foreign partners included BP, BASF, Dow Chemicals and Mitsubishi.
She went on to become a project analyst in the Petronas Petrochemical Business Unit and was part of the core team developing the Petronas brand essence, which now forms part of the Petronas global branding strategy.
Zara left Petronas in November 2001 to become account manager at Formis Network Services Sdn Bhd and later was made vice-president of partnerships and alliances at Formis (Malaysia) Berhad, a technology-based company, between 2003 and 2005.
For the last two years, Zara, an avowed adventure sports enthusiast, was managing director of Forthwave Consulting Sdn Bhd, a hydrocarbon technical engineering and software development company in Kuala Lumpur.
More... Perak Sultan disappointed with Utusan Group
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© Copyright 2007 The New Straits Times Press (M) Berhad. All rights reserved.
The Star Online > Nation
Wednesday May 9, 2007
IPOH: Zara Salim Davidson, a grandniece of first Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman, is the bride-to-be of the Raja Muda of Perak Raja Dr Nazrin Shah.
Zara, 34, a chemical engineer by training, heads an oil and gas consultancy based in Kuala Lumpur.
 |
Raja Nazrin’s bride-to-be: This is Zara Salim Davidson, a grandniece of first Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman and the bride-to-be of the Raja Muda of Perak Raja Dr Nazrin Shah. Zara, 34, a chemical engineer by training, heads an oil and gas consultancy firm based at KLCC. She is the daughter of prominent lawyer Bill Davidson. Raja Nazrin and Zara will be married in Kuala Kangsar on May 17. — Bernama |
The daughter of prominent lawyer Bill Davidson who has practices here and in Kuala Lumpur, Zara had represented Perak in swimming competitions.
She and the prince, who has been the country’s most eligible royal bachelor for decades, have known each other for about eight years.
The royal town of Kuala Kangsar is already abuzz with the wedding scheduled to be held at Istana Iskandariah on May 17.
A day after the solemnisation of their vows, there will be a special proclamation ceremony to bestow Zara with the official title of Raja Puan Besar of Perak.
The royal wedding reception will take place on May 19.
Raja Nazrin, 50, is the eldest child of Sultan Azlan Shah and Raja Permaisuri Tuanku Bainun.
Born in Penang on Nov 27, 1956, he was appointed Regent of Perak when his father became the ninth Yang di-Pertuan Agong from 1989 to 1994.
Raja Nazrin holds a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from Oxford, a Masters in Public Administration from the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard, and a PhD in Political Economy and Government also from Harvard.
His research interests are in the areas of economic and political development in South-East and North-East Asia, historical national income accounting and economic growth in developing countries.
The prince has also written articles and spoken on a wide range of issues including the role of the constitutional monarchy in Malaysia, education, Islam, ethnic relations and economic development.
ฉ 1995-2005 Star Publications (Malaysia) Bhd (Co No 10894-D) |
| Posted: May.04.2007 @ 2:47 pm |
The Star Online > Nation
Friday May 4, 2007
By ZIEMAN
 Interview with the Mufti of Perlis Dr Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin: 
 |
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Perlis Mufti Dr Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin | KUALA LUMPUR: Muslims should not feel uneasy or offended if non-Muslims use the expression assalamu’alaikum (peace be upon you) to greet them, said Perlis Mufti Dr Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin.
He said there were non-Muslims who greeted Muslims with the salam in the proper manner and “with all honesty, that is, they truly wish us peace.”
“Islam teaches us that an honourable greeting must be replied appropriately. Therefore, Muslims should answer such a greeting fully.”
Dr Asri, the country’s youngest mufti, said this in a new weekly column in mstar, the Malay news portal of The Star.
The Islamic scholar skyrocketed into the Malaysian consciousness after his bold comments last year on the need for religious authorities to stop snooping and spying on Muslims for khalwat (close proximity), urging them to look at the bigger picture and focus on the community’s more pressing problems.
Since then, the 35-year-old mufti has expressed opinions on a range of issues, some of which have not exactly endeared him to some of his more conservative peers and segments of the public.
In his column, Dr Asri will take questions from Muslims and non-Muslims who want to know about Islam and its application in daily life in a multi-ethnic setting.
His views on the Muslim greeting was in response to the following question posed by a non-Muslim:
In the Middle East, it is customary to greet people, including non-Muslims, with the salam – Assalamu ‘alaikum (meaning, “peace be upon you”) – and to reply to the greeting with the phrase, “Wa ’alaikum salam (“and upon you, peace”). However, in Malaysia, the greeting seems to be confined to Muslims. Why?
Dr Asri said: “In Malaysia, the greeting is a cultural practice established by people in the past. It is a problem of comprehension and interpretation, which has resulted in the belief that Muslims are not allowed to answer the salam expressed by non-Muslims.
“This has happened because of a confusion over a hadith (tradition) of the Prophet, who instructed Muslims to reply to the salam from the People of the Book (Christians and Jews) with the phrase wa ’alaika (and upon you).
“During the time of the Prophet, non-Muslims who were hostile to Muslims sometimes cynically greeted them with assamu ‘alaikum, which means ‘destruction upon you’.
“That is why the Prophet told Muslims to reply with wa ’alaika. The instruction contained in this hadith is not applicable in every situation.”
Dr Asri encouraged Muslims to show that Islam projects an image of harmony and that Prophet Muhammad was sent to bring peace. “There is no problem with Islam. All this happen because of inaccurate interpretations, and we have to fix it.”
For video and more on the issue, go to mstar.com.my. Readers, both Muslims and non-Muslims, are invited to send in their queries. E-mail the questions, in English or Malay, to mufti@thestar.com.my or fax to 03-7967 1388.
ฉ 1995-2005 Star Publications (Malaysia) Bhd (Co No 10894-D) |
| Posted: May.03.2007 @ 2:54 pm |
2007/05/03
Is Perak kris the Taming Sari? By :
Wan Ahmad Arshad showing the diagram of a kris, believed to be the Taming Sari, in the manuscript. |
SEREMBAN: Evidence has emer- ged that the kris at the Istana Iskandariah Bukit Chandan, Kuala Kangsar, is indeed the fabled Taming Sari of Hang Tuah.
A manuscript ,dating back more than 300 years, has been found that describes the kris in detail.
It has a diagram of a kris, labelled the Taming Sari, which resembles that in the possession of the Perak royal family.
Written below are words in Jawi which state: Keris Hang Jebat, sebelah negeri harganya, cerita pengkarang namanya (the kris of Hang Jebat, half a state is the price, author’s story is the name).
Wan Ahmad Arshad, a collector of artifacts who found the manuscript in Terengganu three months ago, believed it could prove that the kris was once owned by the legendary Malacca warrior.
"Going by a visual comparison, there are similarities between the Taming Sari in Perak and the keris shown in the diagram. This could prove that the keris in Perak is the actual Taming Sari."
Besides the Taming Sari, the manuscript also shows a diagram of a kris belonging to Hang Jebat, and 25 other kris.
The diagram of Hang Jebat’s kris also had similar writing bearing the name of Hang Tuah’s companion, who later died at his hands.
"The diagrams also show the intricate designs on the pamor (blade) of the Taming Sari," said Wan Ahmad.
According to legend, Hang Tuah handed over the kris to Tun Mamat, to be given to Sultan Mahmud of Malacca after he (Hang Tuah) failed to persuade Puteri Gunung Ledang to marry the sultan.
Sultan Mahmud took the kris with him when he escaped from Malacca to Kampar in Sumatra.
Taming Sari finally found a permanent home in Perak as part of the state’s royal regalia when Sultan Mahmud’s son, Sultan Muzaffar Shah I, was installed as the first sultan of Perak.
Wan Ahmad said this was an exciting discovery as this is the first time a manuscript containing such diagrams has been found anywhere in the world. |
| Posted: May.03.2007 @ 2:48 pm |
GLOBAL WARMING: Final warning... Will Malaysia be arid like Africa?
03 May, 2007
As global warming looms, many scientists are sounding the alarm. Some are predicting doom. How will it affect Malaysians? Are we prepared for it? MINDERJEET KAUR wades through the gloom to find out KUALA LUMPUR: Heatwaves, floods, costlier food, water shortages and more diseases.
Malaysians must prepare for these over the next 20 years.
Global warming could even turn Malaysia into an arid state akin to Africa’s parched states, according to a weather expert.
And no less a person than Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Azmi Khalid says 1,200 sq km of coastline will be under water if no measures are taken to tackle global warming.
The journal Environment and Urbanization, in its latest issue, quoted a recent study which showed that more than two-thirds of the world’s large cities were in areas vulnerable to global warming and rising sea levels. Some 600 million people could be affected.
Malaysians are already feeling the effects of freak weather patterns and now experts warn that by 2025, higher temperatures will cause prolonged droughts and intense floods.
The impact is likely to reduce food supply, causing the prices of vegetables, rice, seafood, fruits and meat to rise.
And families, instead of enjoying mother nature, will either ensconced themselves in air-conditioned homes or in shopping malls.
Parents are likely to restrict their children from playing outdoors.
Climatologist and physical oceanography Professor Dr Fredolian Tanggang said the weather was expected to increase by 1° Celsius in the next 20 years.
"The last 100 years saw an increase of 0.7° Celcius but because of rapid development, the temperature is expected to increase further in a shorter span of time.
"In just 20 years, our temperature would have risen five times more than it did in the last 100 years."
He said cities were getting warmer and more droughts and floods would occur.
"There will be stronger winds, something like typhoons."
He added that the recent Johor floods were tell-tale signs of global warming.
"It should not have happened. It was unexpected. But if temperatures continue to rise, we can expect more such floods."
A Meteorological Department spokesman agreed, saying temperatures were rising.
He said: "We are monitoring the weather patterns. That’s all our department can do."
Drainage and Irrigation Department director-general Datuk Dr Keizrul Abdullah said more floods could be expected as the climate worsened.
Tanggang said: "The climate change will affect everyone. Farmers will suffer and agricultural yield is likely to be reduced.
"If we want to see how we will live in a hundred years from now, take a look at Africa — famine, droughts and people fighting for food."
To escape the heat, he said, almost every home would have air-conditioning.
The demand for power would go up and more carbon dioxide would be emitted.
He lamented that people were not taking climate change seriously and not enough energy- saving devices were being used.
Tanggang said rising sea levels would cause erosion and submerged shores.
"We need to take measures to avoid this.
"Malaysia has not done enough of its own research and most of our facts are based on foreign research."
More... Bracing for food shortages
Also read: Low-lying cities will be badly hit
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Tomorrow: How we can make a differance
© Copyright 2007 The New Straits Times Press (M) Berhad. All rights reserved. |
| Posted: May.03.2007 @ 2:05 pm |
终日背盐水供养男人 阳光下的纳西族女人（图）
清晨，阳光还没来得及跃出横断山脉的雪峰，盐井的女人们就像被什么怪物追逐着一样，脚不着地地往澜沧江河谷里面奔。澜沧江河床上的盐井经过一夜的积攒，盐水已经溢得深深的。
每个女人都想乘着太阳还未升起，暑气还未蒸腾，多往自家的盐池里背几桶盐水。等井里的盐水很快落下去，她们就可以将盐池里的盐水往各家的盐田上背，然后，就等着暴烈的阳光和峡谷里干热的风将水分蒸发掉，剩下的就是盐巴了。
位于西藏和云南交界处澜沧江河谷里的老人们一致认定，他们的祖先发现和经营的这一片盐井已经有上千年的历史。没有任何记载或传说表明人们是如何找到这片盐井的。也许是一个或几个猎人在追寻猎物时发现了动物常在这里流连，也许是牛羊凭着本能嗅到了盐巴的味道而把它们的主人领到了这里。
不管怎么说，在那食盐匮乏如金的年月，盐井的发现为那里的人们铺出了一条生存之路。直到现在，盐井的大多数纳西族居民仍以最原始的方式进行着传统的晒盐生计。
在盐井纳西民族乡，现在还有61户产盐专业户，他们没有土地，只以晒盐巴为生，自产自销，用卖盐换来的钱买粮食吃。另外，乡里的大多数人家，约213户都有盐田，同时还有土地，过着半盐半农的日子。盐井一年大约能够产盐24万千克。在过去交通不便、食盐紧缺的年月里，盐井盐的年产量有时超过40万千克。 不知从什么时候起，也不知什么原因，盐井的制盐工作几乎完全由女人来完成。各家的男人们只是在妇女们晒出小山一样的盐堆时，才赶着骡马来，将盐巴装袋上驮，运到盐井小镇的盐市上出售，再由盐贩子把盐巴卖到邻近的藏区。据盐井乡副书记斯囊次仁介绍，盐井出产的盐巴销往邻近四川昌都地区的十几个县和云南的迪庆州，远处销达西藏林芝地区的察隅，四川甘孜州的巴塘、理塘和木里。 
分布在江边的几口盐井，有的三四米深，有的深达五六米，要从木梯上爬下去汲水。井里随时都热气腾腾的，汩汩冒着温热的盐水。女人们分两组交换着背两眼最好的盐井水。背干了盐水，她们会坐在井边休息一下，等盐水再冒出来，她们又接着背。 她们在井下先用木桶舀进大半桶盐水，再用树皮瓢加满，在别人的帮助下提起沉重的水桶，用肚子将水桶顶到梯子上，再转身背到背上。从井下的陡梯往地面攀爬时，她们嘴里有节奏地发出“噻、噻、噻”的声音，以减轻背上的负重感。 沿陡峭的江岸而上，就是一片片层层叠叠用木架子支撑起的盐田，一片片盐田之间用简易的栈道连通，即使是空手上下都很艰难吃力。那些木架子盐田错落有致，鳞次栉比，有的刚倒入盐水，风吹水面，波光粼粼；有的水分已经蒸发，洁白的盐晶映着雪山夕阳，闪耀着迷人的光彩；有的还没来得及倒盐水，裸露着棕红色的台面，朴实无华。这些五彩斑斓的盐田又与奔腾的江水，与江岸台地上的农田，与一株株葱郁的核桃树，构成了一幅壮丽的画面，令人难忘。 每年3月到6月，澜沧江两岸桃花陆续开放的时候，盐井的女人们就开始了紧张忙碌的晒盐工作，这段时间因为阳光充足，风又大，澜沧江的水位处于枯水季节，所以盐水的品质最好，出盐率也高，当地盐民就把这段时间产的盐称为“桃花盐”。过了这段时间，雨季的雨水一下来，加之江水上涨，就很难晒出盐巴，即使搞出一些，质量也不是太好。 等盐田里的水分慢慢干掉，一粒粒方形或菱形的盐结晶渐渐显现出来，就像影像在显影盆中出现那般神奇。女人们用木板仔细地将盐粒刮拢在一起，再撮到竹背箩里沥去剩下的水分，剩下的就是她们的辛劳所得——盐巴。 
这些盐井女人一天最多可背一百多桶盐水，少的也能背个七八十桶。她们从十五六岁就开始背盐水，一直要干到四十五六岁，整个繁重的劳动伴随着她们的青春期和全部的生育时期。除了下雨，她们每天都得重复那沉重的劳动，一天在陡峭的山壁上上下下奔波一百多趟。每天从家里到盐田，来回还得爬一个多小时的山路。 到中午时分，她们就三五成群聚在一家的简易小屋里，或干脆就坐在盐架下面，打一些酥油茶，吃一点各自带来的面饼、馒头、糌粑之类的干粮，有的还会炒一两个青菜或煎几片咸肉。到天黑收工时，她们会躲在江边的大石头后面，就着江水梳洗一番，然后换上干净的衣服，回家吃饭休息。 澜沧江水日复一日、年复一年向南汹涌奔流，太阳天天升起又落下，落下又升起，盐水变成了盐巴又变成了其他物质，盐井的女人们生来死去，祖祖辈辈毫无怨言地从事着那繁重辛劳的生计，她们并没有满怀苦楚，笑容仍常常绽放在她们的脸上，清亮的歌声仍时时在盐池和盐架间回响。 她们就像台地上的核桃树一样健康，生机勃勃，像那些盐粒一样饱满、纯洁。她们都知道，自己这么辛苦是为了自己的家，为了自己的孩子和家人。她们似乎注定了只有这样的生活，所以她们心甘情愿，她们知足感恩，她们因从大自然那里获得盐水而欢喜，尽管那盐水要以许多的汗水才能换得。 跟随着她们矫健的脚步，看着她们的笑容，我觉得，那结晶在盐巴里的阳光的味道、江水的味道、一丛丛野花野草的味道，还有那穿过山谷的风的味道，使她们陶醉其中，使她们在不知不觉中握住了生命的意义。 可是，越来越多的袋装加碘精盐出现在西藏东部的小店铺里和藏民的家里，它们在毫不留情地动摇着盐井女人们的生意；关于就要关闭盐井的传闻更使盐井人陷于不安和无奈之中。这是一些仅仅只要能生存就已经很知足的人们。如果盐井关闭，她们和她们的后代何以为生，她们一点眉目都没有。 或许，所有的人类文明都要衰落并最终消失，然而，盐井人的命运，他们祖祖辈辈所执着的将阳光和水制作为人类生存所必需的盐的故事，仍是一段令人牵肠挂肚的历程，我们实在不忍心看到那些美观的盐池和盐架就这么消失，然而，盐井女人那样活着，的确太苦太累了。也许，她们还能寻找到别样的活法，她们的身影和歌声还会在别样的劳作中穿梭和荡漾…… 凤凰论坛精选推荐
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| Posted: May.03.2007 @ 1:57 pm |
Extreme dieting: Eat less, live longer? |
By Rebecca Morelle
Science reporter, BBC News |
 Bob Cavanaugh has restricted his diet for six years |
Scientists believe they are a step close to working out why an extremely restrictive diet boosts longevity. This well-documented calorie-cutting phenomenon has been seen in many species, from yeast to mice to dogs.
Although the effects of "calorie restriction" in humans are as yet unknown, some are undertaking this in a bid to live longer.
Here, Bob Cavanaugh, managing director of the Calorie Restriction Society, tells the BBC News website about his diet:
 I've been doing calorie restriction for six years.
When I was 53, I had a physical and found out my blood cholesterol level was very high. My doctor wanted to try and control it with diet before resorting to drugs, and I was all in favour of that.
I had read a book about calorie restriction and ageing back in 1988, and was convinced by the science, so I decided to try it.
I use software to work out what to eat everyday. I believe without it, it is impossible to have proper nutrition.
You weigh your food, and it works out the calories, the ratio of fat, carbohydrate and protein and the breakdown of vitamin, minerals and amino acids, then runs a nutritional profile of what you eat throughout the day.
On an average day, I eat 1,800 calories. Younger people can restrict their calories more severely, but I've been told that, based on lab animal evidence, I have already accumulated years of damage to my mitochondria (the powerhouses of the cells), so I utilise my food less efficiently than a younger person.
On a typical day, I will eat an oatmeal-based recipe for breakfast, which is about 455 calories and it gives me about half of my daily nutrients.
I don't eat lunch - after this breakfast I just don't feel hungry - so that leaves me about 1,350 calories for my evening meal, which is a lot.
If you are smart, by eating small portions of meat and small quantities of starchy things, that leaves an enormous amount of room for fruit and vegetables. You wind up eating quite a large meal and it is very filling, nutritious and satisfying.
Exhilaration
Contrary to popular belief you are not hungry on this diet, and I feel excellent. When I started the diet when I was 53, I felt like I was starting to get on in years and didn't quite have the vim and vigour I used to have.
But starting calorie restriction, that exhilaration that I used to experience in youth returned and my whole sense of well-being returned to levels I experienced as a child.
It really made me feel like I got my life back.
In terms of health, my cholesterol level has really dropped, I now weigh 150lb, and I haven't had any illnesses at all - not even a cold.
My motivation for doing calorie restriction was two-fold. One was to reduce my risk of age-related diseases such as heart disease - with the cholesterol level I had. I was in line for this.
And the prospect of extending your lifespan is very appealing - although I guess you have to be somewhat narcissistic to think you are worth living a lot longer than anyone else. 
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| Posted: May.03.2007 @ 1:54 pm |
Gene clue to longevity uncovered |
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By Rebecca Morelle
Science reporter, BBC News |
The study was carried out on nematode worms | The mystery of how eating less boosts longevity is closer to being solved.
Studies have shown that severe calorie restriction markedly extends lifespan in mice and many other species - but the reasons for this remained elusive.
But now US research on nematode worms, published in Nature, has uncovered a gene linked to this unusual effect.
In the future, the find could lead to drugs that mimic the consequences of calorie restriction but negate the need for severe fasting regimes.
Sweet-spot
The life-lengthening properties of reducing calorie intake were first discovered in the 1930s, when laboratory rodents fed a severely reduced diet were found to outlive their well-fed peers.
Since then, this effect has been observed on organisms as diverse as yeast, flies, worms and dogs.
The consequences for humans of cutting calorie intake by about 60% while maintaining levels of vital nutrients are still unclear, although this extreme diet has a number of followers.
Andrew Dillin, an author of the paper and an associate professor at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, said: "If you reduce food too much, you go towards starvation and live less long. If you overeat you will succumb to obesity and have a short lifespan. Dietary restriction is really a sweet-spot between the two.
"But for 72 years, we have not known how it works."
The scientists say mammals have a similar gene to pha-4 | A study using nematode worms (Caenorhabditis elegans) revealed that a gene called pha-4 played a key role.
The team found worms that had their pha-4 genes removed showed no enhanced longevity while on the restricted diet.
But they discovered that the opposite experiment - over-expressing levels of pha-4 in the worms - increased longevity when on the restricted diet.
"This is the first gene we have found that is absolutely essential to the longevity response to dietary restriction," explained Dr Dillin.
"We finally have genetic evidence to unravel the underlying molecular programme required for increased longevity in response to calorie restriction."
Feast or famine
Although the study was carried out on worms, the finding could also be important for other species.
Mammals, including humans, possessed genes that were highly similar to the pha-4 gene, explained Dr Dillin.
These genes play a key role in development, and then in later life in the regulation of glucagon, a hormone that has a major role in maintaining glucose levels in blood - especially during fasting.
In fact, scientists believe the life-increasing effect of dietary restriction may be linked to boosting chances of survival through times of food scarcity.
"Pha-4 may be the primordial gene to help an animal overcome stressful conditions to live a long time through dietary restriction conditions," explained Dr Dillin.
Parallels?
Scientists now plan to look at the gene in other species.
Should the longevity link also apply to humans, it could open the door to the development of drugs that mimic the effects of calorie restriction while allowing people to maintain their normal diet, the scientists said.
Professor Richard Miller of the Institute of Gerontology at the University of Michigan, commented: "It is really hard to guess whether the connections that we see between the pha-4 system and calorie restriction in worms will have parallels in mammals, whose repertoire of responses to various forms of long- and short-term food shortages are far more complex than those of worms.
"But the Dillin paper provides both motivation to look and also clues about where to look. I think it's likely to be influential, even if the implications for mammals do eventually turn out to be a cul-de-sac - which they might or might not." | |
| Posted: May.03.2007 @ 1:49 pm |
School science changes 'rushed' The move to a more flexible school curriculum in England is being rushed, leading science organisations claim.
Learned societies, teachers and others say it is alarming that changes for 11 to 14-year-olds are not being piloted.
Schools are under too much pressure from other developments to implement the changes in 2008 successfully, the group argues. They should be postponed.
The government said that, far from being rushed in, the changes were the result of extensive consultation.
Its aim is to give teachers more scope to help children master the basics and greater flexibility to enliven lessons and personalise learning.
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There would be considerable advantages in allowing schools the option of piloting the ... changes from 2008 but not insisting that all schools change
Score's report |
The warning has come in a report from the Science Community Partnership Supporting Education (Score), made up of the Association for Science Education, Biosciences Federation, Institute of Biology, Institute of Physics, Royal Society, Royal Society of Chemistry and the Science Council. It has been produced to coincide with a debate on the subject in the House of Lords on Thursday.
It is written as a response to the Lords science and technology committee's report on science teaching in schools, which said pupils in England found science A-levels too difficult and other subjects more "funky".
Start date
Score says the authorities need to take notice of the public consultation on changes to Key Stage 3 which is underway.
The Department for Education and Skills and the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority "will need a strong justification for ignoring responses that suggest the development process is too short for successful implementation".
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Our work is the result of extensive consultation with industry, academics and the Royal Society themselves
Department for Education and Skills |
It believed there would be considerable advantages in allowing schools to pilot the changes from 2008 but not insisting they all change until assessment material was available in 2011. In addition to preparing for those changes, science teachers will next year also be:
- teaching the second year of new science GCSEs
- preparing to deliver new courses for separate sciences
- preparing for new A-level courses and extended projects
- preparing to deliver science elements in the new specialised 14-19 Diplomas.
The Royal Society's education director, Professor Michael Reiss, said: "It's vital more young people are interested and enthused about studying the sciences.
"It is therefore alarming that changes at such an important time for young people - their first taste of secondary school - are being rushed along on the wave of reform without any piloting."
Guidance
Daniel Sandford-Smith, of the Institute of Physics, said: "Giving teachers more flexibility to exercise their professional judgement is good.
"However, reducing the constraints of the curriculum without providing proper guidance for teachers runs the risk that some will become more reliant on the content of Key Stage 3 tests to direct their teaching.
"This kind of 'teaching to the test' actually undermines the government's ambitions in making these changes to 'personalise' pupil's learning."
Score also says publishers of educational materials are struggling to keep up, and says it is concerned about the number of errors already creeping into resources for schools.
A spokesperson for the Department for Education and Skills said the Royal Society had been directly consulted in developing the proposals.
"The changes are not being rushed in - far from it. Our work is the result of extensive consultation with industry, academics and the Royal Society themselves and have widespread support.
"Teachers are not being asked to tear up lesson plans and start again from September 2008.
"The Key Stage 3 changes will be phased in over three years and will be supported by a full package of guidance and support to teachers of science and all other teachers, starting in September."
A spokeswoman for the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority said changes to the way science was taught would enable a smoother transition into GCSE study.
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| Posted: May.03.2007 @ 1:37 pm |
Our ministers are good at talking but not acting.
The Star Online > Nation
Thursday May 3, 2007
KEMAMAN: State governments must catch the culprits who discharge waste indiscriminately, particularly into rivers.
Towards this end, they must enact bylaws to monitor and carry out enforcement work, said Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Azmi Khalid.
He admitted that enforcement would be difficult if there were no bylaws to act against culprits who discharged waste, including at islands off the coast of the respective states.
Implementing such bylaws was crucial to addressing the issue, which was largely due to human factors, such as building illegal settlements or squatter areas along riverbanks.
“The pollution of our rivers could be controlled with the appropriate enforcement from the state governments,” Azmi told reporters after opening a seminar jointly organised by Universiti Malaysia Terengganu and the Aquatic Ecosystem Management Association of Canada here yesterday.
Azmi said that currently 70% of rivers are under the purview of local authorities. The other remaining areas are outside their control.
“I admit that the factors leading to polluted rivers, such as the discharging of waste materials and factors due to development, are beyond the jurisdiction of local governments,” he said.
Azmi commended the Terengganu government, which had set a yardstick for the conservation of rivers and had reduced pollution better than some other states.
He said the state government’s proactive measures to reduce pollution should be emulated by other states.
ฉ 1995-2005 Star Publications (Malaysia) Bhd (Co No 10894-D) |
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The prospect of extending your lifespan is very appealing 
