New Year Eve

It is almost end of the 2008. We are counting down now.

It was very hot this afternoon, about 35 °C. We went to shopping mall to get away from the heat. It is 24.6 °C outside. Our landlords and their friends are talking in their patio. We are watching the TV for midnight fireworks.

(ps. I posted this at 11:40pm)

This year is very specific for me.

People in my country elected a pro-China president in March. I know that I don't like this result, but I have to respect their decision because this is what democracy is.

I worked very hard to submit my dissertation in the last day and got my degree in May.

I came back to my country with my husband in May. An unexpected incident happened to me in International Airport upon arrival. I was handcuffed and arrested due to a political persecution. It was a terrible and terrifying shock for me. I have been fighting very hard for my basic human rights and freedom of speech since then.

I withdrew myself from society and all my ideals and dreams since then. Closing up myself was the only way I knew to heal up myself. I came to Australia to be with my husband together in early July.

The dishonor councilwoman withdraw her nonsense accusation in mid-July. Thanks to the support and trust of all my family members during the whole process. Without them, I won't be here now. Thanks to the help from friends in Green Party Taiwan.

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Traffic rules in QLD

We couldn't find traffic rules in the QLD Transport Department when we got our driver licenses, but it is important to know it because it maybe different to US and Taiwan. We certainly don't want to violate any traffic rule. I think that many Australia drivers are very aggressive especially to pedestrian, but maybe because the rules are different to the ones in US.

Here they are.

1. Queensland road rules

All drivers need to know our road rules. They are actively enforced to avoid safety risks.
These basic road rules always apply:

You must give way to the right at unsigned cross intersections.
You must abide by traffic signs, lights and road markings.
You must obey the speed limit.
A STOP sign means that all wheels of your vehicle must come to a complete halt.
You cannot make a U-turn at a set of traffic lights, unless a sign states you can.

2. Your Keys to Driving in Queensland book: It contains essential information about the Queensland driver licensing system, and road rules. (pdf file)

3. The road rules legislation contains a full list of road rules in Queensland. (pdf file)
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Silent Night

I read an article on newspapers about the origin of "Silent Night". Wa! It was written by Austrian priest Father Josef Mohr and composed by Austria headmaster Franz Xaver. Here is wiki information.

Silent Night (wiki) (German: Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht) is a popular Christmas carol. The original lyrics of the song Stille Nacht were written in German by the Austrian priest Father Josef Mohr and the melody was composed by the Austrian headmaster Franz Xaver Gruber. In 1863, John Freeman Young translated the song into the English version sung today. The version of the melody that is generally sung today differs slightly (particularly in the final strain) from Gruber's original. Today, the lyrics and melody are in the public domain.


History

The carol was first performed in the Nikolaus-Kirche (Church of St. Nicholas) in Oberndorf, Austria on December 24, 1818. Mohr had composed the words much earlier, in 1816, but on Christmas Eve brought them to Gruber and asked him to compose a melody and guitar accompaniment for the church service.

In his written account regarding the composition of the carol, Gruber gives no mention of the specific inspiration for creating the song. According to the song's history provided by Austria's Silent Night Society, one supposition is that the church organ was no longer working so that Mohr and Gruber therefore created a song for accompaniment by guitar. Silent Night historian, Renate Ebeling-Winkler says that the first mention of a broken organ was in a book published in the U.S. in 1909.

Music: Franz Xaver Gruber, 1818 Words: Josef Mohr, 1816

Translation: John Freeman Young

Stille Nacht! Heilige Nacht! Alles schläft; einsam wacht Nur das traute hochheilige Paar. Holder Knabe im lockigen Haar, Schlaf in himmlischer Ruh! Schlaf in himmlischer Ruh! Stille Nacht! Heilige Nacht! Gottes Sohn! O wie lacht Lieb' aus deinem göttlichen Mund, Da uns schlägt die rettende Stund’. Jesus in deiner Geburt! Jesus in deiner Geburt! Stille Nacht! Heilige Nacht! Die der Welt Heil gebracht, Aus des Himmels goldenen Höhn Uns der Gnaden Fülle läßt seh'n Jesum in Menschengestalt. Jesum in Menschengestalt. Stille Nacht! Heilige Nacht! Wo sich heut alle Macht Väterlicher Liebe ergoß Und als Bruder huldvoll umschloß Jesus die Völker der Welt. Jesus die Völker der Welt. Stille Nacht! Heilige Nacht! Lange schon uns bedacht, Als der Herr vom Grimme befreit, In der Väter urgrauer Zeit Aller Welt Schonung verhieß. Aller Welt Schonung verhieß. Stille Nacht! Heilige Nacht! Hirten erst kundgemacht Durch der Engel Alleluja, Tönt es laut bei Ferne und Nah: Jesus der Retter ist da! Jesus der Retter ist da!

Silent night, holy night All is calm, all is bright 'Round yon virgin mother and Child Holy infant so tender and mild Sleep in heavenly peace Sleep in heavenly peace Silent night, holy night, Shepherds quake at the sight. Glories stream from heaven afar, Heav'nly hosts sing Alleluia; Christ the Saviour is born Christ the Saviour is born Silent night, holy night, Son of God, love's pure light. Radiant beams from Thy holy face, With the dawn of redeeming grace, Jesus, Lord at Thy birth Jesus, Lord at Thy birth

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Sweet Sorghum

People have focused on several plants for bio-fuel. Sweet sorghum is one of them.

Sorghum (wiki information) is a genus of numerous species of grasses, some of which are raised for grain and many of which are used as fodder plants either cultivated or as part of pasture. The plants are cultivated in warmer climates worldwide. Species are native to tropical and subtropical regions of all continents in addition to the South West Pacific and Australasia. Sorghum is in the subfamily Panicoideae and the tribe Andropogoneae (the tribe of big bluestem and sugar cane).


Sweet Sorghum : A New "Smart Biofuel Crop": In these days of soaring food prices around the world, a smart crop that provides food and fodder, grows in dry, salty or soggy conditions, tolerates heat, provides steady income for poor farmers, and can be used to produce ethanol. Sweet sorghum, a plant that grows to a height of 12 feet and looks like corn without the ears, has all these qualities.

Sorghum production in Queensland

Sorghum information

World-wide focus on reverse genetics sorghum trial, Queensland Country Life - FarmOnline 22/12/2008 4:00:00 AM
The quest for commercially productive grain sorghum traits are literally "in the bag" for sorghum researchers who have initiated the world's biggest sorghum reverse genetics project.

Identification of QTL for sugar-related traits in a sweet × grain sorghum ( Sorghum bicolor L. Moench) recombinant inbred population, Kimberley B. Ritter, David R. Jordan, Scott C. Chapman, Ian D. Godwin, Emma S. Mace and C. Lynne McIntyre, Molecular Breeding 22(3):367-384 (October, 2008).

An assessment of the genetic relationship between sweet and grain sorghums, within Sorghum bicolor ssp. bicolor (L.) Moench, using AFLP markers, Kimberley B. Ritter, C. Lynne McIntyre, Ian D. Godwin, David R. Jordan and Scott C. Chapman, Euphytica 157(1-2):161-176 (September, 2007).

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TV shows

Here are some TV shows.

Bones: Monday 8:30 pm - 10:30 pm on channel 7
CSI: Monday 8:30 pm - 9:30 pm on channel 9

NCIS: Tuesday 8:30 pm - 9:30 pm on channel 10
Ghost Whisper: Tuesday 9:30 pm - 10:30 pm on channel 7

Air Crash Investigation: Wednesday 7:30 pm - 8:30 pm on channel 7
(Criminal Mind: Wednesday 8:30 pm - 10:30 pm on channel 7?, not now)
House: Wednesday 8:30 pm - 9:30 pm on channel 10
The Unit: Wednesday 9:30 pm - 10:30 pm channel 7

Inspector Rex: Thursday 7:30 pm - 10:00 pm on channel SBS

Mythbusters: Saturday 7:30 pm - 8:30 pm on channel SBS

Seven Wonders of the Industrial World: Sunday 7:30 pm -8:30 pm on channel 7

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Mid-Dec 2008 papers

Here are some interested papers in mid-Dec., 2008.

Europe lags, US leads 2nd-generation biofuels, Cormac Sheridan, Nature Biotech 26(12):1319 - 1321 (December 2008).

Biomarkers' double edge, Jeffrey L Fox, Nature Biotech 26(12):1322 (December 2008).

Automated de novo protein sequencing of monoclonal antibodies, Nuno Bandeira, Victoria Pham, Pavel Pevzner, David Arnott and Jennie R Lill, Nature Biotech 26(12):1336 - 1338 (December 2008).

Antibody patenting without antibodies: a global trend, Kazunori Hashimoto & Tomomi Aida, Nature Biotech 26(12):1341 - 1343 (December 2008).
Granting human gene patents that include broad antibody claims without any experimental antibody production makes the gene patent issue more complex.

Design and analysis of ChIP-seq experiments for DNA-binding proteins, Peter V Kharchenko, Michael Y Tolstorukov & Peter J Park, Nature Biotech 26(12):1351 - 1359 (December 2008).
Critical considerations in the design and analysis of ChIP-seq experiments include how to align sequenced tags to the genome, how to detect binding sites and how to estimate the number of tags needed to confidently determine where a protein binds DNA. ....

TRANSCRIPTION: Gene Expression--Where to Start? , Stephen Buratowski, , Science 322(5909):1804 (19 December 2008).
Transcription just got noisier with the discovery of short RNAs that are synthesized at or near DNA regions that also initiate full-length RNAs.

The Circadian Clock in Arabidopsis Roots Is a Simplified Slave Version of the Clock in Shoots, A. B. James et al., Science 322(5909):1832 - 1835 (19 December 2008).
A simpler plant circadian clock, which normally has three interlocking feedback loops, is used in the roots, with one feedback loop regulating only a few genes.

A Conserved Molecular Framework for Compound Leaf Development, T. Blein et al., Science 322(5909):1835 - 1839 (19 December 2008).
A family of transcription factors controls the formation of leaflets and lobes in complex leaves in distantly related plants by controlling outgrowth from leaf margins.

Increasing corn for biofuel production reduces biocontrol services in agricultural landscapes, Douglas A. Landis, Mary M. Gardiner, Wopke van der Werf, and Scott M. Swinton, PNAS 105(51):20552-20557 (December 23, 2008).

Quantitative genetics, Nature Insight 456(7223):719–744 (December 2008).
Recent revolutions in genomic technologies have led to a renewed interest in quantitative genetics.

Next-generation genetics in plants, Magnus Nordborg & Detlef Weigel, Nature Insight 456(7223):720 - 723 (December 2008).

Reverse engineering the genotype–phenotype map with natural genetic variation, Matthew V. Rockman, Nature Insight 456(7223):738 (December 2008).

Plant hormone study pulled: Canadian lab retracts work on abscisic acid, Emma Marris, Nature 456(7223):683 (10 December 2008).
Two years ago, three papers made a splash in the plant biology world by identifying protein receptors for abscisic acid (ABA), a key hormone in plant physiology. This week, Nature is retracting one of those papers1 after reports that the work could not be replicated.

FCA does not bind abscisic acid, Joanna M. Risk, Richard C. Macknight and Catherine L. Day, Nature 456(7223):E5-E6 (11 December 2008).

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Early Dec papers

Here are some interest papers in early Dec., 2008.

An H+ P-ATPase on the tonoplast determines vacuolar pH and flower colour, Walter Verweij, Cornelis Spelt, Gian-Pietro Di Sansebastiano, Joop Vermeer, Lara Reale, Francesco Ferranti, Ronald Koes and Francesca Quattrocchio, Nature Cell Biology 10, 1456 - 1462 (2008).
P-ATPases in plants are typically thought to act at the plasma membrane. In contrast, PH5, a P-type H+ ATPase functions within the vacuolar membrane to control acidification during flower coloration.

Activation of TGF-b/activin signalling resets the circadian clock through rapid induction of Dec1 transcripts, Naohiro Kon, Tsuyoshi Hirota, Takeshi Kawamoto, Yukio Kato, Tadashi Tsubota and Yoshitaka Fukada, Nature Cell Biology 10, 1463 - 1469 (2008).
The circadian clock is synchronized with the environment. In mammals, besides light input mediated by Per genes, little is known about resetting mechanisms. TGF-beta and activin reset the clock by acting on the circadian gene Dec1.

Agronomy: Five crop researchers who could change the world, Emma Marris, Nature 456, 563-568 (3 December 2008).
The current crisis in worldwide food prices reinforces the need for more productive agriculture. Emma Marris meets five ambitious scientists determined to stop the world from going hungry.

Role of Plant alpha Importin Proteins in Agrobacterium-Mediated Transformation, Nancy A. Eckardt (News and Reviews Editor), The Plant Cell 20(10):2541 (Dec 2008).

Transcriptome-Wide Analysis of Uncapped mRNAs in Arabidopsis Reveals Regulation of mRNA Degradation, Yuling Jiao, José Luis Riechmann, and Elliot M. Meyerowitz, The Plant Cell 20(10):2571-2585 (Dec 2008).

Histone H2B Monoubiquitination in the Chromatin of FLOWERING LOCUS C Regulates Flowering Time in Arabidopsis, Ying Cao, Yan Dai, Sujuan Cui and Ligeng Ma, The Plant Cell 20(10):2586-2602 (Dec 2008).

OCEANS: Elements and Evolution, Ariel D. Anbar, Science 322(5907):1481 - 1483 (5 December 2008).
Changes in elemental abundances in Earth's oceans on geological time scales are intimately linked to evolutionary processes.


CELL SIGNALING: Fat Stress and Liver Resistance, Wataru Ogawa and Masato Kasuga, Science 322(5907):1483 - 1484 (5 December 2008).
Communication among immune and fat cells in adipose tissue and liver hepatocytes underlies the pathogenesis of obesity-related insulin resistance.


Photoexcited CRY2 Interacts with CIB1 to Regulate Transcription and Floral Initiation in Arabidopsis, Hongtao Liu, Xuhong Yu, Kunwu Li, John Klejnot, Hongyun Yang, Dominique Lisiero, Chentao Lin, Science 322(5907):1535 - 1539 (5 December 2008).
Cryptochromes (CRY) are photolyase-like blue-light receptors that mediate light responses in plants and animals. How plant cryptochromes act in response to blue light is not well understood.

AGAMOUS-LIKE24 and SHORT VEGETATIVE PHASE determine floral meristem identity in Arabidopsis, Veronica Gregis, Alice Sessa, Lucia Colombo, Martin M. Kater, The Plant Journal 56(6):891 - 902 (2008).

AGAMOUS-LIKE24 and SHORT VEGETATIVE PHASE determine floral meristem identity in Arabidopsis, Veronica Gregis, Alice Sessa, Lucia Colombo, Martin M. Kater, The Plant Journal 56(6):891 - 902.

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Mitsubishi Colt

We have taken bus to work and shopping and walked to shopping and doing laundry for 6 months. It is a little bit tired to do this.

We have been searching on internet for several small/light car, such as Honda Jazz and Toyota Yaris first, then Mazda 2, and finally Mitsubishi Colt, to compare their price, performance, environmental friendly, and safety.

It is getting close to Christmas holiday and we thought that we should have a car for the vacation. We called the Mitsubishi Toowong dealer yesterday to book a test drive today.

Hmmm, we bought a Mitsubishi Colt. Yeah! A new car. This is the biggest spending we have made in our life together. We will make it worth.


This is what it looks like. Our car is white color because all the other colors cost ~300 AUD extra.
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Hygrometer - Psychrometer

It is so humid in here. We would like to use air conditioner to reduce the humidity, but we don't want to waste energy, so a hygrometer will be useful. We checked its price in last weekend and decided to make our own.

We have a thermometer which can measure 2 temperatures. Here are some information about hygrometer and psychrometer and the psychrometric chart from wiki.

Hygrometers are instruments used for measuring humidity. A simple form of a hygrometer is specifically known as a "psychrometer" and consists of two thermometers, one of which includes a dry bulb and the other of which includes a bulb that is kept wet to measure wet-bulb temperature.

Psychrometrics or psychrometry are terms used to describe the field of engineering concerned with the determination of physical and thermodynamic properties of gas-vapor mixtures. The term derives from the Greek psuchron (ψυχρόν) (cold) and metron (μέτρον) (means of measurement).


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Ban Red Pen??

This is one of the most ... policy I have heard. I am just wondering why not just ban all the colors based on this AMAZING logic. Please read some news about this "red pen ban" policy.

Qld Govt slams 'tasteless' red pen debate (ABC, Wed Dec 3, 2008 6:22pm AEDT)
The Queensland Government says a parliamentary debate about banning red pens is tasteless and trivial.

A Queensland Health document advises teachers that students with mental illness can perceive red pen as "aggressive", and suggests using a different colour.

Red pen tip 'came from teachers, not health experts' (ABC, Thu Dec 4, 2008 6:30pm)
Queensland Health Minister Stephen Robertson says the warning against using red pens in classrooms came from teachers, not mental health experts.

About 1,000 Queensland Health leaflets have been printed, containing ideas for teachers to address mental wellbeing in their classrooms.

Red pen too aggressive, Queensland teachers told (By Gabrielle Dunlevy, December 03, 2008 12:54pm)
* Teachers told to "reconsider pen colour"
* Children might be offended by red
TEACHERS have been told to stop marking schoolchildren's work with red pen because it is an "aggressive" colour.

Teachers told not to use 'aggressive' red pen, 3/12/2008 6:18:00 PM. | AAP
Teachers have been advised that marking students' work in red pen could harm their mental health.

A kit to help teachers address mental health wellbeing in the classroom offers a list of tips devised by experts.

One tip says: "Don't mark in a red pen (which can be seen as aggressive) - use a different colour."

Question: In many states, teachers are banned from using red pen to grade tests, are you afraid of red ink? By sleidman Asked Jun 6 2007 5:05PM
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Did Britain Just Sell Tibet?

I do believe that those politician only consider so-called national benefits as their priority. Justice and human rights are not their concern if they do not fit into their benefits. Here is an article published on New York Times recently.

Did Britain Just Sell Tibet?
By ROBERT BARNETT (November 24, 2008) at New York Times

(from NY Times)
THE financial crisis is going to do more than increase unemployment, bankruptcy and homelessness. It is also likely to reshape international alignments, sometimes in ways that we would not expect.
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Britain’s concession could be China’s most significant achievement on Tibet since American support for Tibetan guerillas was ended before Nixon’s visit to Beijing. Including China in global decision-making is welcome, but Western powers should not rewrite history to get support in the financial crisis. It may be more than banks and failed mortgages that are sold off cheap in the rush to shore up ailing economies.

Robert Barnett, the director of the Modern Tibetan Studies Program at Columbia, is the author of “Lhasa: Streets With Memories.”

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Some links

Some useful links in Australia

Australia-QLD_TransLink: a very useful website which provide the transportation information around Brisbane region. We have used it for 6 months when we need to go to any place, including from airport to home.

Australian travel maps, street directory, driving directions & aerial photographs - Whereis.com: it is very slow. I still prefer to use maps.google.com

Product Review Australia - your reviews on products and services on the Australian marketplace

RateCity.com.au: a lot of comparisons

TV guide Brisbane

Weather.com.au - Brisbane Weather: good information

FloraBase - the Western Australian Flora

Food/Vegie Prices: only for Sydney?

WHAT CAN'T I TAKE INTO AUSTRALIA?

Virgin Broadband: our internet connection

housing_Domain.com.au: website I saw on TV. It might be useful when we start looking for buying a house.

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