The CCB award. Looks abit weird though. Comes in two colours.
Cool right! I'm so happy. Anyway I've decided to include at least one picture for every post so as to brighten up the place.
Today as i read the papers i came across two interesthing articles that tickled me. The first was this..
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Monks take soldiers hostage for 6 hours
YANGON — Hundreds of Buddhist monks in Myanmar held a group of local and security officials hostage for several hours yesterday, after troops violently broke up an anti-junta protest, residents said.
The showdown in Pakokku, a major centre of Buddhist learning, marked the most serious confrontation with the military government since protests erupted nationwide more than two weeks ago.
Tensions have soared since some 300 monks marched through the streets on Wednesday, chanting prayers in a protest against a massive hike in fuel prices. Troops fired warning shots above the crowd and then beat the monks with bamboo sticks to break up the protest, residents said.
Local and security officials had come to the Aletaik monastery early yesterday to apologise for the violence. But the monks set four of their cars on fire and took about 20 people hostage, residents said. Five hostages were released after about five hours and others were freed 45 minutes later.
Outside the monastery gates, hundreds of people had gathered to applaud their anti-government action. The young monks finally decided to end the standoff, opening the gates out of concern for the health of a senior abbot, who needed food and medicine.
The monks flipped over the last two cars belonging to the officials and forced their captives to exit by foot through a back door.
"Young monks are very militant and will fight back. Once the monks are beaten, people could also join," Thailand-based analyst Win Min said. "If you beat up the monks, this is a religious crime. It could send you to hell."
The monks were credited with helping to rally popular support for a pro-democracy uprising in 1988. — AFP
The showdown in Pakokku, a major centre of Buddhist learning, marked the most serious confrontation with the military government since protests erupted nationwide more than two weeks ago.
Tensions have soared since some 300 monks marched through the streets on Wednesday, chanting prayers in a protest against a massive hike in fuel prices. Troops fired warning shots above the crowd and then beat the monks with bamboo sticks to break up the protest, residents said.
Local and security officials had come to the Aletaik monastery early yesterday to apologise for the violence. But the monks set four of their cars on fire and took about 20 people hostage, residents said. Five hostages were released after about five hours and others were freed 45 minutes later.
Outside the monastery gates, hundreds of people had gathered to applaud their anti-government action. The young monks finally decided to end the standoff, opening the gates out of concern for the health of a senior abbot, who needed food and medicine.
The monks flipped over the last two cars belonging to the officials and forced their captives to exit by foot through a back door.
"Young monks are very militant and will fight back. Once the monks are beaten, people could also join," Thailand-based analyst Win Min said. "If you beat up the monks, this is a religious crime. It could send you to hell."
The monks were credited with helping to rally popular support for a pro-democracy uprising in 1988. — AFP
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I have got so many comments about this. Aren't monks suppose to be like secluded from the world and its woes? I thought they are suppose to be hiding at some monastery facing the walls and eating chup cai peng everyday, practicing kung fu, chanting, sweeping the floors and charging up their inner powers every once in a while. Why are they protesting against fuel hikes? I thought they walked everywhere they go. Wasted they not Singaporeans. It would be interesthing to see monks hitting LTA staff.
But i really must commend the police for using bamboo poles to hit the monks in the bid to curb the riot. So effective. Haven't they seen monks using sledgehammers to hit each other for fun? Or using their heads to crack concrete slabs. Anyway, i just don't get why the monks are involved. Perhaps monks play a part of the political circles over there. Some people say polictics hold the keys to unlocking the city. In this case you may need the MONKey. Get it. HAHA!
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Example of a MONKey. HAHA!
The monks also quite strong hor, can win the police and upheave the vehicles. Kudos to them for their strict dieting and physical training daily. Like all history lessons, we must always evaluate what went wrong. Some reasons why Singapore lost the war was due to an over reliance on the brits, or perhaps germany lost because they expanded too quickly. Here are some reasons why the police lost to the monks.
1. Baby monks were born this size
2. They can fly!
3. For every step you take, they have taken three. You tell me how to run?
4. Wtf no comments
4. Wtf no comments
5. Behold their secret skill. Man into man shen gong!
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Remember guys, "If you beat up the monks, this is a religious crime. It could send you to hell."
Ok next up, article 2!
A monstrous act against humanity
Vatican, pro-life groups, protest UK decision on embryos
LONDON — Britain's fertility regulator decided in principle on Wednesday to allow scientists to create human-animal hybrid embryos for research purposes, as experts downplayed ethical concerns and objections from pro-life groups.
The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) gave the go-ahead to controversial plans to create "cytoplasmic" embryos, which merge human cells with eggs from animals such as cattle or rabbits.
Applications to proceed with such work from researchers at Newcastle University in north-east England and King's College London can now be appraised by a licence committee in November.
An HFEA spokeswoman accepted that public opinion was divided and said it was a tough decision to make.
Some pro-life and religious groups disagree with creating embryos with the intent to destroy them later.
"There are grave ethical and moral objections," said Mr Anthony Ozimic, secretary of the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children.
"All the evidence suggests that these embryos are essentially human. Yet, they will be cannibalised and killed for their stem cells," he said.
The Vatican also weighed in on the debate, describing it as a "monstrous act directed against human dignity".
Catholic Archbishop of Cardiff Peter Smith also voiced concern.
"The profound ethical question is: Is it right to transgress that species boundary and ... mix human and animal natures in however limited a fashion?"
The project's supporters, meanwhile, welcomed the news.
Scientists have argued that such research could pave the way for therapies for diseases such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.
"It is a positive outcome not just for our work but for the progress of British science in general and we hope that this will lead to new technologies to benefit everyone," said Newcastle University's Dr Lyle Armstrong, who helped to create the world's first cloned human embryo in 2005.
Dr Stephen Minger of King's College, London, said it was gratifying that the HFEA had listened to the scientific community.
He said it was "the only ethically justifiable option, given the large numbers of eggs required to derive cloned human stem cell lines from individuals with incurable and highly progressive neurological disorders".
The research involves transferring nuclei containing DNA from human cells to animal eggs that have had nearly all their genetic information removed. The resulting embryos are therefore mostly human, with a small animal component. — AFP
LONDON — Britain's fertility regulator decided in principle on Wednesday to allow scientists to create human-animal hybrid embryos for research purposes, as experts downplayed ethical concerns and objections from pro-life groups.
The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) gave the go-ahead to controversial plans to create "cytoplasmic" embryos, which merge human cells with eggs from animals such as cattle or rabbits.
Applications to proceed with such work from researchers at Newcastle University in north-east England and King's College London can now be appraised by a licence committee in November.
An HFEA spokeswoman accepted that public opinion was divided and said it was a tough decision to make.
Some pro-life and religious groups disagree with creating embryos with the intent to destroy them later.
"There are grave ethical and moral objections," said Mr Anthony Ozimic, secretary of the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children.
"All the evidence suggests that these embryos are essentially human. Yet, they will be cannibalised and killed for their stem cells," he said.
The Vatican also weighed in on the debate, describing it as a "monstrous act directed against human dignity".
Catholic Archbishop of Cardiff Peter Smith also voiced concern.
"The profound ethical question is: Is it right to transgress that species boundary and ... mix human and animal natures in however limited a fashion?"
The project's supporters, meanwhile, welcomed the news.
Scientists have argued that such research could pave the way for therapies for diseases such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.
"It is a positive outcome not just for our work but for the progress of British science in general and we hope that this will lead to new technologies to benefit everyone," said Newcastle University's Dr Lyle Armstrong, who helped to create the world's first cloned human embryo in 2005.
Dr Stephen Minger of King's College, London, said it was gratifying that the HFEA had listened to the scientific community.
He said it was "the only ethically justifiable option, given the large numbers of eggs required to derive cloned human stem cell lines from individuals with incurable and highly progressive neurological disorders".
The research involves transferring nuclei containing DNA from human cells to animal eggs that have had nearly all their genetic information removed. The resulting embryos are therefore mostly human, with a small animal component. — AFP
So interesthing. I always imagined cloning to be input= output. Never imagined you could have inputs=poot poot. What i mean is that i always thought you took human samples to clone humans and animal samples to produce the same animal. The possibility of deriving a so called hybrid of humans and animals is so mind blowing.
But haven't we seen these phenomenon already, be it in fables or reality? Wah rhymes.
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Angels are what you get between a birdie and a hot girl.
You get centaurs when you cross a horse, a man and a keg of beer
You get this when you cross the male and female species.
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