If I do a survey on what people usually wear to college, I’d bet my favourite Levi’s that I’d get jeans and t-shirt as the answer. Now the classic combination has been challenged.
Why? It’s because somebody woke up one morning and decided that jeans is deemed an indecent exposure of the body and induces sexual attraction amongst students.
Now I know why I had trouble doing that Psychology exam- the person sitting next to me was wearing jeans. I sensed that he was oozing with sexuality, even from half a metre away. And I thought I just needed to spend more time in bed. Errr... Freudian slip, I mean in class.
Anyway, it’s not what you wear, it’s how you wear it. Even baju kurung can be sexy, depending on how you carry it.
If one is caught wearing jeans, (s)he can be expelled without inquiry and blacklisted. I don’t even consider it a crime, unless you consider the fashion faux pas some people commit (nobody should see your crack, we’re having trouble focusing already), so the punishment is shocking.
I feel that my rights are violated here.
We’re old enough to have sex, consume alcohol and vote, but we’re not old enough to decide what to wear? How ridiculous does that sound? It’s just a pair of pants! I thought we’re over with uniforms. Last I checked, I didn’t sign up for the military.
So we’re not allowed to wear jeans, then let me think of a few alternatives. How about fitted trousers, skirts and shorts? Shorts for the boys, definitely. How about the tops? Tank tops and fitted t-shirts, as the weather is oh-so-hot.
You don’t expect us to wear slacks and shirts, do you? Well, if you do, then let me remind you. IACT is a so-called creative college, so what we wear is part of who we are, it’s how we express ourselves.
Wait, don’t tell me. Skirts, shorts, tank tops and t-shirts will be banned too? Great. Before you know it, we won’t have anything to wear to college. Then we’ll really have trouble focusing in class.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Monday, August 4, 2008
Kids in Icy Business
by Anis Azyan
Dressed in an orange and light blue outfit, Abhihkirtthega dances to the song Bole Chudiyan from a Bollywood box-office hit, Kabhi Kushi Kabhi Gham. Her mother, Shobarani, is watching nearby.
Abhih’s coach, Surayu Ismail, plays the song again when it ends and Abhih starts her routine for the umpteenth time. Occasionally, Surayu calls out “Abhih, move your shoulders!”
It seems like a normal dance practice, except Abhih is only six years old and she will be performing her dance moves on ice. Abhih is training for the upcoming Skate Asia 2008, Asia’s largest figure skating competition.
Figure skating is a growing sport in Malaysia. Parents are sending their children from as young as three years old to the skating rink. In a country like ours where it never snows, the fact that the competition is held here is an indication that young Malaysians are embracing figure skating.
This is the third time Malaysia is hosting the competition, the last being in 2000. Skaters represent their rink, not their country. Instead of technical criteria, skaters will be judged on their skills.
Held in Sunway Pyramid Ice, the country’s only skating rink in Sunway Pyramid, the competition will attract 1000 people- skaters, coaches and their entourage. Malaysia will be represented by 153 participants, the youngest being three-year old Ionna Su. For pictures of Ionna Su, click here.
What is it about the sport that causes people to flock to the skating rink, especially on weekends? Head Coach of Sunway Pyramid Ice, Harry Janto Leo, 29, says “It builds character, people can express what’s inside through performances.”
Skating also helps build good body posture and acts as a great workout. “You actually sweat, unless you just stand there,” he says with a boyish grin.
Shobarani, 31, agrees that skating is a form of expression. She says Abhih is a bit shy, but “with skating, she can express herself.”
But what do kids think of skating?
“Yeah Abhih, your coach always scolds you, why do you like skating?” teases the bubbly Surayu, 25, when Abhih keeps quiet when I ask her.
The camaraderie is evident. A smile emerges out of the girl. “I like it because it’s fun. It’s fun when I’m on the ice.”
Kavitha Guanasambartham, 10, says she likes skating “because it’s fun and enjoyable”.
But it’s not always fun for these children, as they have to juggle between school and practice. Kavitha who has been skating for over a year, will take part in six events in the competition. Some of the songs she will be performing to are SOS by Rihanna, a scene from Disney’s Ice Princess movie, a song from Kisna-an Indian movie, and Genie in the Bottle by Christina Aguilera.
It is about 1 p.m. when I start talking to Kavitha, and seconds later, her mother comes to fetch her.
“She has to go to school,” the mother explains.
As a coach, Surayu faces challenges, especially with the competition coming up. A lot of research on music and choreography is involved, as each student has a different song.
“I have a student who wants to do a Hawaiian dance, another wants to be a genie, and one wants to do something from Cats. And Abhih is doing Bollywood.”
According to Surayu, children are easier to train, because “they have no fear”. In skating, being fearless is an advantage as falling is part of the parcel. And when you fall, you will always have a witness.
But, kids will always be kids.
“After a while, they get restless. They get easily distracted when their friends are around, so sometimes I let them play for a while.”
Because there is not much media coverage on skating as a sport, they have no sponsors. This is hard for the parents, as they have to bear all the cost, and skating comes with a price.
Surayu lays down the overall cost-costume (RM250), classes (RM1500) and brand new skates for a beginner (RM800). In total, it can cost up to RM2550 for a child.
But it’s not all about the kids. As she points out “I also have a mum in her 40’s taking classes. It’s never too late.”
Harry, who is also Assistant Competition Director for Skate Asia 2008, explains that now Pyramid Ice has about 500 students. They have a promotion every school holiday to encourage people to take up figure skating.
“It’s also a family activity. I like it when I see the parents come together with the children,” says Surayu.
We have quantity, but what about quality?
Malaysian skaters definitely have what it takes to compete internationally. “I believe our skaters have potential. For example, in Shenzhen in 2006 (Skate Asia 2006), our skaters came out third,” says Harry.
Skating definitely has a bright future in the hands of these children. While their peers are glued to Hannah Montanna, kids like Abhih and Kavitha are skating their way to success. In the meantime, they’re not afraid to fall.
- The video below shows a girl practicing her routine for Skate Asia 2008.
Dressed in an orange and light blue outfit, Abhihkirtthega dances to the song Bole Chudiyan from a Bollywood box-office hit, Kabhi Kushi Kabhi Gham. Her mother, Shobarani, is watching nearby.
Abhih’s coach, Surayu Ismail, plays the song again when it ends and Abhih starts her routine for the umpteenth time. Occasionally, Surayu calls out “Abhih, move your shoulders!”
It seems like a normal dance practice, except Abhih is only six years old and she will be performing her dance moves on ice. Abhih is training for the upcoming Skate Asia 2008, Asia’s largest figure skating competition.
Figure skating is a growing sport in Malaysia. Parents are sending their children from as young as three years old to the skating rink. In a country like ours where it never snows, the fact that the competition is held here is an indication that young Malaysians are embracing figure skating.
This is the third time Malaysia is hosting the competition, the last being in 2000. Skaters represent their rink, not their country. Instead of technical criteria, skaters will be judged on their skills.
Held in Sunway Pyramid Ice, the country’s only skating rink in Sunway Pyramid, the competition will attract 1000 people- skaters, coaches and their entourage. Malaysia will be represented by 153 participants, the youngest being three-year old Ionna Su. For pictures of Ionna Su, click here.
What is it about the sport that causes people to flock to the skating rink, especially on weekends? Head Coach of Sunway Pyramid Ice, Harry Janto Leo, 29, says “It builds character, people can express what’s inside through performances.”
Skating also helps build good body posture and acts as a great workout. “You actually sweat, unless you just stand there,” he says with a boyish grin.
Shobarani, 31, agrees that skating is a form of expression. She says Abhih is a bit shy, but “with skating, she can express herself.”
But what do kids think of skating?
“Yeah Abhih, your coach always scolds you, why do you like skating?” teases the bubbly Surayu, 25, when Abhih keeps quiet when I ask her.
The camaraderie is evident. A smile emerges out of the girl. “I like it because it’s fun. It’s fun when I’m on the ice.”
Kavitha Guanasambartham, 10, says she likes skating “because it’s fun and enjoyable”.
But it’s not always fun for these children, as they have to juggle between school and practice. Kavitha who has been skating for over a year, will take part in six events in the competition. Some of the songs she will be performing to are SOS by Rihanna, a scene from Disney’s Ice Princess movie, a song from Kisna-an Indian movie, and Genie in the Bottle by Christina Aguilera.
It is about 1 p.m. when I start talking to Kavitha, and seconds later, her mother comes to fetch her.
“She has to go to school,” the mother explains.
As a coach, Surayu faces challenges, especially with the competition coming up. A lot of research on music and choreography is involved, as each student has a different song.
“I have a student who wants to do a Hawaiian dance, another wants to be a genie, and one wants to do something from Cats. And Abhih is doing Bollywood.”
According to Surayu, children are easier to train, because “they have no fear”. In skating, being fearless is an advantage as falling is part of the parcel. And when you fall, you will always have a witness.
But, kids will always be kids.
“After a while, they get restless. They get easily distracted when their friends are around, so sometimes I let them play for a while.”
Because there is not much media coverage on skating as a sport, they have no sponsors. This is hard for the parents, as they have to bear all the cost, and skating comes with a price.
Surayu lays down the overall cost-costume (RM250), classes (RM1500) and brand new skates for a beginner (RM800). In total, it can cost up to RM2550 for a child.
But it’s not all about the kids. As she points out “I also have a mum in her 40’s taking classes. It’s never too late.”
Harry, who is also Assistant Competition Director for Skate Asia 2008, explains that now Pyramid Ice has about 500 students. They have a promotion every school holiday to encourage people to take up figure skating.
“It’s also a family activity. I like it when I see the parents come together with the children,” says Surayu.
We have quantity, but what about quality?
Malaysian skaters definitely have what it takes to compete internationally. “I believe our skaters have potential. For example, in Shenzhen in 2006 (Skate Asia 2006), our skaters came out third,” says Harry.
Skating definitely has a bright future in the hands of these children. While their peers are glued to Hannah Montanna, kids like Abhih and Kavitha are skating their way to success. In the meantime, they’re not afraid to fall.
- The video below shows a girl practicing her routine for Skate Asia 2008.
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Comic-Con: And the Winner is...
By Rebecca Winters Keegan
TIME.com shows the results of Comic Con, pop-culture marathon run by fans.
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role: Hugh Jackman, who made a surprise appearance to promote upcoming X-Men Origins: Wolverine. He understands that Comic-Con is itself a performance. Jackman leaped off the stage, ran across the floor to shake the hand of Wolverine's creator and thanked the crowd.
Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role: Carla Gugino. Actresses are so marginalized at Comic-Con, there's no point in having a lead category. But Gugino contributed information at the Watchmen panel, discussing Sally Jupiter/Silk Spectre's tragic character arc.
Best Vehicle: Attack-mode KITT. This Mustang on steroids designed for NBC's new Knight Rider boasts Lamborghini doors, a top speed of 377 m.p.h. and, most importantly, turbo-boost.
Most Popular Costume: The Joker. Guys with red lipstick-smeared smiles and purple dinner jackets were as plentiful at Comic-Con this year as those perennials, the Storm Troopers.
Most Enthusiastic Fans: The Twihards, devout readers of Stephenie Meyer's Twilight, were the loudest and proudest, starting a Twilight chant while they waited, shrieking anytime a cast member, Meyer or director Catherine Hardwicke said anything.
Panel Most Likely to Yield a Drinking Game: Star Wars: The Clone Wars. The folks at Lucasfilm showed clips from the animated movie and animated show. The footage looked cool enough, but the moderator's and panelists' constant references to George Lucas' brilliance inspired eye-rolling and forced Gatorade sipping from fans.
Biggest Omission: Star Trek. Director J.J. Abrams said he has footage of Star Trek ready to show, but the only thing fans got was a poster. Paramount, the studio releasing Star Trek, was a no-show in the panels.
Most Tenuous Link to Comic Books: The Office. NBC had a panel and booth for The Office, which, while certainly a show with an alpha fan base, isn't really genre fare.
Best Party: EW and the Sci Fi Channel's bash on the roof of the Hotel Solamar. There were cast members from Heroes, Twilight, Lost and Battlestar Galactica.
Most Missed: Alan Moore. The Hollywood-averse Watchmen creator wants no part of the big-screen adaptation of his graphic novel, but the movie's attention has won Moore new fans. Opening night of the Con, comic-book vendors had stacks of the book on their tables. By Saturday, there wasn't a copy of Watchmen to be found.
(447 words)
TIME.com shows the results of Comic Con, pop-culture marathon run by fans.
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role: Hugh Jackman, who made a surprise appearance to promote upcoming X-Men Origins: Wolverine. He understands that Comic-Con is itself a performance. Jackman leaped off the stage, ran across the floor to shake the hand of Wolverine's creator and thanked the crowd.
Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role: Carla Gugino. Actresses are so marginalized at Comic-Con, there's no point in having a lead category. But Gugino contributed information at the Watchmen panel, discussing Sally Jupiter/Silk Spectre's tragic character arc.
Best Vehicle: Attack-mode KITT. This Mustang on steroids designed for NBC's new Knight Rider boasts Lamborghini doors, a top speed of 377 m.p.h. and, most importantly, turbo-boost.
Most Popular Costume: The Joker. Guys with red lipstick-smeared smiles and purple dinner jackets were as plentiful at Comic-Con this year as those perennials, the Storm Troopers.
Most Enthusiastic Fans: The Twihards, devout readers of Stephenie Meyer's Twilight, were the loudest and proudest, starting a Twilight chant while they waited, shrieking anytime a cast member, Meyer or director Catherine Hardwicke said anything.
For more pictures, click here.
Panel Most Likely to Yield a Drinking Game: Star Wars: The Clone Wars. The folks at Lucasfilm showed clips from the animated movie and animated show. The footage looked cool enough, but the moderator's and panelists' constant references to George Lucas' brilliance inspired eye-rolling and forced Gatorade sipping from fans.
Biggest Omission: Star Trek. Director J.J. Abrams said he has footage of Star Trek ready to show, but the only thing fans got was a poster. Paramount, the studio releasing Star Trek, was a no-show in the panels.
Most Tenuous Link to Comic Books: The Office. NBC had a panel and booth for The Office, which, while certainly a show with an alpha fan base, isn't really genre fare.
Best Party: EW and the Sci Fi Channel's bash on the roof of the Hotel Solamar. There were cast members from Heroes, Twilight, Lost and Battlestar Galactica.
Most Missed: Alan Moore. The Hollywood-averse Watchmen creator wants no part of the big-screen adaptation of his graphic novel, but the movie's attention has won Moore new fans. Opening night of the Con, comic-book vendors had stacks of the book on their tables. By Saturday, there wasn't a copy of Watchmen to be found.
(447 words)
Friday, August 1, 2008
Many Happy Returns?
Michael Griffin’s a birthday wish for NASA, which he runs: "An understanding that not everything that is worthwhile can be justified in terms of immediate dollars and cents on the balance sheet." An artful reply, and America’s space agency did not survive 50 years without being artful.
NASA was thrown together after Soviet Union launched Sputnik in 1957, and received impetus by the flight of the first cosmonaut in 1961. Then president John Kennedy responded by saying that an American should go to the moon by the end of the decade. Within five years, NASA had access to three-quarters of 1% of America's GDP.
Dr Griffin said of that period that "the moon race was more than exploration for its own sake; it was considered a real-life test of the viability of our open society—a vindication of the very concept of freedom." Although an exaggeration, he is right- there was something heroic about the project.
It changed humanity's view of itself by broadcasting pictures of the Earth as a frail blue dot hanging in a hostile void over an unchanging lunar desert, demonstrating that not everything that is worthwhile can be justified in terms of money.
It might have been better for NASA's reputation if it had closed down at that point. NASA has survived through a space-shuttle programme far more expensive than the rockets it was supposed to replace, through the construction of an orbiting space station, though it has produced little of scientific value—and also, through a programme of unmanned scientific space probes that have pushed back the frontiers of human understanding.
Dr Griffin may be the administrator with the boldest vision since the early 1970s. He is trying to realize George Bush's almost casual announcement that America should return to the moon, and then go on to Mars. Though it will be expensive, it might bring the "manned" and "unmanned" parts of the organisation together.
NASA was thrown together after Soviet Union launched Sputnik in 1957, and received impetus by the flight of the first cosmonaut in 1961. Then president John Kennedy responded by saying that an American should go to the moon by the end of the decade. Within five years, NASA had access to three-quarters of 1% of America's GDP.
Dr Griffin said of that period that "the moon race was more than exploration for its own sake; it was considered a real-life test of the viability of our open society—a vindication of the very concept of freedom." Although an exaggeration, he is right- there was something heroic about the project.
It changed humanity's view of itself by broadcasting pictures of the Earth as a frail blue dot hanging in a hostile void over an unchanging lunar desert, demonstrating that not everything that is worthwhile can be justified in terms of money.
It might have been better for NASA's reputation if it had closed down at that point. NASA has survived through a space-shuttle programme far more expensive than the rockets it was supposed to replace, through the construction of an orbiting space station, though it has produced little of scientific value—and also, through a programme of unmanned scientific space probes that have pushed back the frontiers of human understanding.
Dr Griffin may be the administrator with the boldest vision since the early 1970s. He is trying to realize George Bush's almost casual announcement that America should return to the moon, and then go on to Mars. Though it will be expensive, it might bring the "manned" and "unmanned" parts of the organisation together.
For pictures of Mars and more, click here.
At the moment, about a third of the agency's budget is spent on unmanned science- on missions to planets, vital observations of the Earth, and examination of the sun and scanning of the universe.
The remaining budget is consumed by manned space flight—the shuttle and the space station. NASA often refers to this as "space exploration" but actually, both are barely out of the atmosphere. The real exploration of space is being done by the unmanned missions.
The result is a tension between the "manned" and "unmanned" sides of the organisation. Many scientists reckon a lot more useful stuff could be done in space if the manned budget were spent on robot probes. Dr Griffin, however, says that without the human-exploration side, the science side would be "a mere shadow of itself today". The implication is that without the fluffier but politically appealing bits of human space exploration, space science would not do so well.
To keep the scientists on side, manned spaceflight should be justified to taxpayers in its own right—not in terms of money, but for its inspirational value. Historically, that is questionable. The voyages of discovery to America, commonly compared to spaceflight, were entirely about money.
Nevertheless, it is an argument that keeps the dollars coming, for Americans seem reluctant to abandon their manned space programme. To replace the shuttle, there will be new rockets and a new type of spaceship. There will also be a moon lander, and eventually a mission to Mars. NASA, then, may get to relive its youth after all, but may find that the reality of youthful experience has moved on.
NASA was defined by the competition with its Soviet counterpart. But things have changed since the 1960s. A lot of people other than national agencies want to join, and NASA is under pressure to do something it is bad at- collaborating.
Take the case of Richard Garriott, a successful games designer who is flying to the space station in October as a private tourist. Initially, NASA was sniffy about the whole idea of space tourism. Mr Garriott also hopes to do some commercially valuable experiments when he is in orbit. Just the sort of application, it might be thought, that should be encouraged.
Such collaborations are a way forward. Google's chief executive exhorted NASA to engage more with the outside world by creating "open systems" that others can build on. Google would like to start collecting its own data for its planetary-visualisation projects.
That, perhaps, is a more subtle threat than NASA realises. For Google's virtual planets are a symptom of the changing nature of vicarious experience. If Google can eventually be able to bring the illusion not just of not just being on the moon, but of actually having had them, then paying for real manned Mars missions might seem an awful waste of money.
(797 words)
At the moment, about a third of the agency's budget is spent on unmanned science- on missions to planets, vital observations of the Earth, and examination of the sun and scanning of the universe.
The remaining budget is consumed by manned space flight—the shuttle and the space station. NASA often refers to this as "space exploration" but actually, both are barely out of the atmosphere. The real exploration of space is being done by the unmanned missions.
The result is a tension between the "manned" and "unmanned" sides of the organisation. Many scientists reckon a lot more useful stuff could be done in space if the manned budget were spent on robot probes. Dr Griffin, however, says that without the human-exploration side, the science side would be "a mere shadow of itself today". The implication is that without the fluffier but politically appealing bits of human space exploration, space science would not do so well.
To keep the scientists on side, manned spaceflight should be justified to taxpayers in its own right—not in terms of money, but for its inspirational value. Historically, that is questionable. The voyages of discovery to America, commonly compared to spaceflight, were entirely about money.
Nevertheless, it is an argument that keeps the dollars coming, for Americans seem reluctant to abandon their manned space programme. To replace the shuttle, there will be new rockets and a new type of spaceship. There will also be a moon lander, and eventually a mission to Mars. NASA, then, may get to relive its youth after all, but may find that the reality of youthful experience has moved on.
NASA was defined by the competition with its Soviet counterpart. But things have changed since the 1960s. A lot of people other than national agencies want to join, and NASA is under pressure to do something it is bad at- collaborating.
Take the case of Richard Garriott, a successful games designer who is flying to the space station in October as a private tourist. Initially, NASA was sniffy about the whole idea of space tourism. Mr Garriott also hopes to do some commercially valuable experiments when he is in orbit. Just the sort of application, it might be thought, that should be encouraged.
Such collaborations are a way forward. Google's chief executive exhorted NASA to engage more with the outside world by creating "open systems" that others can build on. Google would like to start collecting its own data for its planetary-visualisation projects.
That, perhaps, is a more subtle threat than NASA realises. For Google's virtual planets are a symptom of the changing nature of vicarious experience. If Google can eventually be able to bring the illusion not just of not just being on the moon, but of actually having had them, then paying for real manned Mars missions might seem an awful waste of money.
(797 words)
Friday, July 25, 2008
The Search for Elusive Holy Grail of HIV Vaccine…Continues
The quest for HIV vaccine has suffered yet another major setback. The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAIDA), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) scrapped a U.S. human trial dubbed PAVE 100, to test a HIV vaccine, saying that more research was needed before the vaccine could be tested on humans.
Following the decision to halt the trial of HIV vaccine candidate MRKAd5 or V520, dubbed STEP last September, researchers were doubtful about the future of the PAVE 100 trial. V520 altered the immune system, facilitating infection, rather than providing immunity against the HIV and failed to reduce viral load of the patients in the STEP trial.
The experimental vaccine to be tested in the PAVE 100 trial would also have used an adenovirus serotype 5 (Ad5) vector that is similar, though not identical, to the Ad5 vector used in the failed STEP trial.
However, the NIAID has not given up entirely on the PAVE 100 trial. It believes the vaccine is scientifically intriguing and sufficiently different from previously tested HIV vaccines. The NIAID is considering testing the experimental vaccine in a smaller, more focused clinical study. It will entertain a proposal for an alternative study with one specific goal: to determine if the vaccine regimen significantly lowers viral load.
With none of the clinical trials for HIV vaccine yielding positive results, some scientists and HIV research advocacy groups have been calling for the U.S government to suspend funds for testing existing experimental vaccines and re-allocate resources into effective, proven HIV/AIDS prevention, testing and treatment strategies.
The recent failures in HIV vaccine development clearly indicate that it still requires fundamental research to understand the basic biology of the AIDS virus and its effects on the human immune system.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Turbine Time
AMERICA must pursue alternative energy sources by making a huge investment in wind-power infrastructure.
The country could build enough wind farms to provide 20% of the nation's electricity by 2030. Achieving this goal is by building wind farms throughout the windy corridor from Texas to the Dakotas. It would cost $1.2 trillion to build and connect them to places where the power is most needed.
Although a staggering expenditure, it would free up American natural gas, which now generates 22% of the country's electricity, to be used for motor vehicles. If all Americans switch to natural gas vehicles, then the country could stop importing so much oil.
The industry would create jobs and revitalise rural America. In 1999, wind power capacity in Texas was just 180 megawatts. Today it leads the nation with almost 5,000. The economic impact will be $315m this year. Wind has brought more than 1,000 new jobs to the area.
This boomlet has made an impression on Texans. Wind power accounts for 3% of the state's electricity, compared with 1% nationwide. But the tax credit that has been driving its growth is about to expire, and there is the question of the creaking grid. The state is mulling a plan that would enable the transmission of 17,000 additional megawatts at a cost of $6.4 billion.
Building wind power capacity will be a difficult task, but there is an emerging agreement in Texas that it is worth the trouble.
(242 words)
The country could build enough wind farms to provide 20% of the nation's electricity by 2030. Achieving this goal is by building wind farms throughout the windy corridor from Texas to the Dakotas. It would cost $1.2 trillion to build and connect them to places where the power is most needed.
Although a staggering expenditure, it would free up American natural gas, which now generates 22% of the country's electricity, to be used for motor vehicles. If all Americans switch to natural gas vehicles, then the country could stop importing so much oil.
The industry would create jobs and revitalise rural America. In 1999, wind power capacity in Texas was just 180 megawatts. Today it leads the nation with almost 5,000. The economic impact will be $315m this year. Wind has brought more than 1,000 new jobs to the area.
This boomlet has made an impression on Texans. Wind power accounts for 3% of the state's electricity, compared with 1% nationwide. But the tax credit that has been driving its growth is about to expire, and there is the question of the creaking grid. The state is mulling a plan that would enable the transmission of 17,000 additional megawatts at a cost of $6.4 billion.
Building wind power capacity will be a difficult task, but there is an emerging agreement in Texas that it is worth the trouble.
(242 words)
Dara Torres, Demystified
By Amanda Schaffer
At age 41, Olympian Dara Torres swims faster than she did 20 years ago. Her middle-age miracle recognition also comes with the suspicion that she is involved with drugs. She may not have failed a drug test and has volunteered for extra testing, but that can't prove definitively that she is clean because of the limitations of the tests.
Torres herself has talked of two "secrets" to her success. First, she takes amino acid supplements developed by German swimmer Mark Warnecke. Second, Torres says she relies on a training technique called "resistance stretching." The stretching and the supplements probably help her performance, but neither is likely to work in the ways—or to the extent—claimed.
Torres touted Warnecke's product- amino acid supplements- saying that it helped her gain muscle and helped with a speedy recovery. On his Website, Warnecke does not list all the ingredients and their proportions. Among other amino acids mentioned, he does name arginine, which helps increase blood circulation, which "significantly reduces regeneration time" of muscles.
A journal of sports nutrition points out that during resistance exercise—when muscles contract against external pressure—a small net breakdown in muscle takes place. Quick replenishment with amino acids can boost protein synthesis, helping to increase muscle repair and growth. The essential amino acids, which the body can't synthesize on its own, appear to play a major role in stimulating this process.
But most of the amino acids mentioned by Warnecke are not in the essential group. It's not clear why taking his supplements would improve muscle repair or boost muscle mass and strength. Meanwhile, consuming protein may be just as effective as taking amino acids, and combining either amino acids or protein with carbs is probably even better for boosting muscle protein synthesis. All in all, amino acid supplements sound at best like a pretty minor factor in Torres' success.
The basic idea to her second secret, resistance stretching is to contract a muscle while lengthening or stretching it. Two trainers "mash" or massage her body with their feet, then begin a series of resistance stretches that look like "a cross between a yoga class, a massage, and a Cirque du Soleil performance," as written in the New York Times Magazine. Over the course of two weeks, in 1999, it transformed Torres "from being an alternate on the relay team to the fastest swimmer in America."
In combination with other training, Torres' approach is likely to have some benefits. Mainly, stretching muscles against resistance may boost their strength through a greater range of motion. That is, it may allow people to generate more force with a muscle that's in a lengthened position. Some evidence also suggests that stretching muscles against resistance may help prevent injuries or facilitate recovery from them.
But there are trade-offs. Making a muscle stronger when it's in a lengthened position may mean making it weaker when it's in a shortened one. In addition, it's not necessarily good for swimmers to increase their range of motion too much, especially in their shoulders. The bottom line is that resistance stretching may improve a swimmer's performance. But as Torres' trainer concedes, there are currently no controlled studies that demonstrate this, and it's hard to see how this technique could really be her record-breaking bullet.
The mystery is not why Torres might try resistance stretching. It's why she promotes it to reporters and advertises it in a video, despite not getting paid to appear in it. Perhaps Torres simply wanted to share about a technique she believes is helping her. But the more she talks about her acclaimed secrets to success, the more one wonders about the secrets she may be hiding.
(614 words)
At age 41, Olympian Dara Torres swims faster than she did 20 years ago. Her middle-age miracle recognition also comes with the suspicion that she is involved with drugs. She may not have failed a drug test and has volunteered for extra testing, but that can't prove definitively that she is clean because of the limitations of the tests.
Torres herself has talked of two "secrets" to her success. First, she takes amino acid supplements developed by German swimmer Mark Warnecke. Second, Torres says she relies on a training technique called "resistance stretching." The stretching and the supplements probably help her performance, but neither is likely to work in the ways—or to the extent—claimed.
Torres touted Warnecke's product- amino acid supplements- saying that it helped her gain muscle and helped with a speedy recovery. On his Website, Warnecke does not list all the ingredients and their proportions. Among other amino acids mentioned, he does name arginine, which helps increase blood circulation, which "significantly reduces regeneration time" of muscles.
A journal of sports nutrition points out that during resistance exercise—when muscles contract against external pressure—a small net breakdown in muscle takes place. Quick replenishment with amino acids can boost protein synthesis, helping to increase muscle repair and growth. The essential amino acids, which the body can't synthesize on its own, appear to play a major role in stimulating this process.
But most of the amino acids mentioned by Warnecke are not in the essential group. It's not clear why taking his supplements would improve muscle repair or boost muscle mass and strength. Meanwhile, consuming protein may be just as effective as taking amino acids, and combining either amino acids or protein with carbs is probably even better for boosting muscle protein synthesis. All in all, amino acid supplements sound at best like a pretty minor factor in Torres' success.
The basic idea to her second secret, resistance stretching is to contract a muscle while lengthening or stretching it. Two trainers "mash" or massage her body with their feet, then begin a series of resistance stretches that look like "a cross between a yoga class, a massage, and a Cirque du Soleil performance," as written in the New York Times Magazine. Over the course of two weeks, in 1999, it transformed Torres "from being an alternate on the relay team to the fastest swimmer in America."
In combination with other training, Torres' approach is likely to have some benefits. Mainly, stretching muscles against resistance may boost their strength through a greater range of motion. That is, it may allow people to generate more force with a muscle that's in a lengthened position. Some evidence also suggests that stretching muscles against resistance may help prevent injuries or facilitate recovery from them.
But there are trade-offs. Making a muscle stronger when it's in a lengthened position may mean making it weaker when it's in a shortened one. In addition, it's not necessarily good for swimmers to increase their range of motion too much, especially in their shoulders. The bottom line is that resistance stretching may improve a swimmer's performance. But as Torres' trainer concedes, there are currently no controlled studies that demonstrate this, and it's hard to see how this technique could really be her record-breaking bullet.
The mystery is not why Torres might try resistance stretching. It's why she promotes it to reporters and advertises it in a video, despite not getting paid to appear in it. Perhaps Torres simply wanted to share about a technique she believes is helping her. But the more she talks about her acclaimed secrets to success, the more one wonders about the secrets she may be hiding.
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