Singapore Broadcasting Corporation (SBC) 1986 TV Debates NTI Team

At the appreciation lunch hosted by the then President Cham Tao Soon 

L-R : Yours truly, Richard Pereira, Philip Lim, Sukdeep Singh, Jaspal Singh.

I'm digging up the past I must admit. After I finished my National Service committments from 1981 - 1983, I pursued the undergraduate course at the National University of Singapore from July 1983 - June 1987.

During those salad days, I was fortunate to represent the Nanyang Technological Institute (which was then the Engineering arm of the National University of Singapore) twice, once in 1984 and the second time in 1986 for the TV debates for tertiary institutions. The debates were held in front of live audience of 200 students, undergraduates and members of public and the telecasts were shown 1 week later on the then Channel 12. 

In the 1984 series, we reached the semi-finals before losing to NUS Team 1 the eventual winners. In 1986, we beat 2 teams, firstly the National Institute of Education and then the NUS Team 1 in the semi-finals. We emerged as runners up in the 1986 series of televised debates. 

My father (see below picture) who was then 65 years of age, was a very enthusiastic advisor, as he gave us plenty of debating tips as a successful practising lawyer in criminal, and subsequently corporate law, and was managing his own law firm Abisheganaden and Company, Our chef de mission was a Dr Koh Moy Yin, and we had help from several other lecturers such as Dr Stanley Richardson and Prof Koo Sai Kee.During the course of our preperations for each stage of the competition, we had the privilege of interviewing Dr Chan Heng Chee, and Dr. Paul Koh (Chief Statistician).

Geoffrey Abisheganaden circa 1985 

We prepared very hard and enthusiastically for both sets of debates, reaching the semi-finals for the 1984 series and the finals for the 1986 series. I believe we helped put NTI on the map as engineering undergraduates were then not known to be outspoken and fluent in the cut and thrust of intellectual debates - something which was more the domain of law undergraduates.

The other tertiary institutes which took part were the Singapore Polytechnic 1 and 2, Ngee Ann Polytechnic 1 and 2 , The National Institute of Education (NIE), NUS teams 1 and 2 and NTI. 

I was chosen to be the first speaker, followed by Richard Pereira, Philip Lim and Jaspal Singh.

For the record, for the 1986 series, although we did not win the overall best team title, we (NTI) team won the best speaker for the night (Philip Lim)l, and Best Speaker for the series Jaspal Singh. We beat the NIE team in the preliminaries, the NUS Team 2 in the semi-finals (which was a major shock to the premier university) and finally took on NUS Team 1 in the finals. 

Truly, a tremendous accolade for a then only 3 years old academic institution of higher learning !

Carpe Diem. 

    

El Che - Documentary about the ultimate revolutionary Ernesto 'Che' Guevara

This is the movie about the late Ernesto 'Che' Guevara's life. Known as 'El Commandante' in Fidel Castro's Cuban Communist Party. This movie explores his motives and the experiences which shaped him for his future role as General Castro's right hand man.

Born in Rosario in 1928 to an upper middle class family, Ernesto was a sickly child but made extreme effort to overcome his handicap through sheer will and tireless effort.  He and another good doctor friend Alberto Granada did a cross continent motorcycle ride to seek 'adventure' in their early to late '20s to 'find their calling' so to speak. They left Argentina in 1952 and ended up in Colombia, and even Miami in 1955. Their adventures in Chile, Peru, Colombia included a 3 week internship in a leper colony called Saint Pablo, in the equatorial rainforests of Colombia affected them deeply about the grave social injustice and economic disparity caused by capitalism. 

He led successfully the overthrow of General Baptista's regime in 1958 and then tried unsuccessfully to export the same  model of authoritarian rule in African Congo and then in Bolivia.

Why is he lionised the world over ? I guess because he stood firm to his principles and was the ultimate anti-establishment icon of the 20th century. He wanted in the end to establish a United States of South America with a Marxist Government. In the end, he failed, was captured and killed in Bolivia by Government forces. 

Enjoy this movie showing the first meeting, then the planning, and finally the campaign to oust the regime of Batista from early 1958 till end of that year.

Bassai Dai Shitoryu Kata

The Japanese translation of this classic kata, Bassai Dai is to "penetrate the fortress".

This is second in the list during my Circuit Breaker (CB) confinment at home.

Sunday 26th April 2020 7.15 pm.

I will put the steps below, for purposes of completeness.

Carpe Diem ! 




Addendum, This is the same kata done by the world champion Rika Usami. Her moves are so crisp, powerful, aggressive and full of purpose.

I guess I have a long way to go to even be 30% of her standard.

I guess I have to keep practising ! 

A Post after a 5 KM run - COVID 19 new normal

Here I am, sitting in my attic, having done a full 35 mins or roughly 5 km run around my neighbourhood. I am still sweating out the effects of the hot morning run. I take a leaf from the great George Sheehan who used to run 5km to 10km and then pen his thoughts soon after his run when the endorphins have been realeased and the mind is at its clearest. He was a regular contributor to the magazine Runner's World.

I started at approximately 10.20 am and waited till all the people who went past my house to clear before I started my run. Today is April 25th 2020. 

This virus is a big  bitch. Life as we know it will be altered,for some, irreversibly until we can find a worldwide effective vaccine. The current measures which include lockdown in many countries, reduced movement coupled with strict social distancing and use of masks will continue for some time as far as I can see.

Even if we 'flatten' the curve of new infections so to speak,we as a country will still need to have the entire population tested for antibodies (5.5M) which will take about a full 6 months if we can test (for example) 20,000 people per day.Then again, that would cover some 3.5 million. 

2 Sentinels in tribute to Amenhotep III (Egypt Dec 2009)

The suggestion below is purely my own. 

The main issue after we test then, is what to do with the results. For those who have the immunity or antibodies, (I reckon at least 70 to 80%), they can safely move around with the "Green Health Cert" and continue with the New Normal of life. 

The 10% who are deemed 'at risk' will perhaps need to adjust to another shared space, BUT without ostracising them in any way. They may be the elderly frail , those with pre-existing co-morbities or with multiple health issues. Perhaps mandating that they have some special support sevices to buy food, at specially selected times, attend certain essential services like hair dressing or the barbers and other specially designed times for dining and the like.

My only fear is that we MUST NOT ostracise this group. They are the vulnerable and are not just the elderly frail.  

The 10% who have recovered can probably rejoin the workforce, and then some semblance of normal life will continue. It MUST. We as human beings are social animals first and foremost. We are so used to doing things and mingling with each other. That is pre-determined in our DNA. To include and serve everybody regardless of creed, sex, age, social standing and religion. It is enshrined in our National Pledge and we will continue to uphold the value of inclusiveness and rights for every individual. 

Of course, the issue is clouded with the caveat of 'protecting the greater good of society'. Which comes first in priorty ? Human right or the greater collective good of people in society ?    

I believe wearing masks in MRTs and even taxis, shared vehicles (Grab) will continue till the end of this year.    

The things we used to do for fun, in the past, can slowly re-open, such as dining in, provided the 'Green Health Cert' and on site temperatures are taken. Pubs, entertainment outlets and cinemas, theatres, and parks, gyms, pools, member clubs will be re-opened in phases with some degree of maximum seating in all establishments.

The contact tracing should remain, though it should never be invading into person's private identity and space. As can be seen, the Case Numbers normally do not highlight the individual's personal details as this will only cause massive stigmatisation even though he or she did nothing wrong except fall sick.

I am very hopeful that by end of this the 70 odd clinical trials which are ongoing from many countries will emerge at least 5 vaccines for the whole world and we will then be able to live life without masks and engage in the social norms, of course with some restrictions still in place.

We must surely succeed ! 

Sanchin Kata Shitoryu

Since I have alot of time during this Lockdown, I decided to upload some of the more popular katas from the ShitoRyu style of karate which I have been practising for 18 years.

The funny thing for me about middle age is that when I first went to the karate class way back in 2002, it was to give my then 2 young sons some exposure to martial arts and ways of protecting themselves in school or elsewhere.

I had been practicing karate on and off since the early 1970s and had trained at the Karate school at Palmer Road under a sensei Stephen. Those days, we trained either at the covered multi-purpose hall outside the Main Building or at the open air basketball court.

How I enjoyed those times, it was the early 1970s, I was 12 years of age. I believe I trained from 1974 to 1978, a total of 5 years attaining a level of full brown.

Fast forward to 2002, and here I was a can-do Dad bringing (no) pulling his 2 young boys  to class and realising that I still had 'it' or the mojo in me.

So, 18 years have passed. I am still at it, practising the ancient art of Shito Ryu. I am past my prime in fitness (easily more than 10 years ago) but still can give decent kicks and punches. 

Here is the first of 25 katas which I had learned and would like to keep for long term memories.

Sanchin Kata ShitoRyu Style.

Thank you for watching.      

Designer Proteins can attach to Cytokines to mitigate the excessive Cytokine Storms - MIT

One of the defining features of Covid-19 is the excessive immune response that can occur in severe cases. This burst of immune overreaction, also called a cytokine storm, damages the lungs and can be fatal.

"Reprinted from Science Daily 16 April 2020, MIT"

A team of MIT researchers has developed specialized proteins, similar in structure to antibodies, that they believe could soak up these excess cytokines.

"The idea is that they can be injected into the body and bind to the excessive cytokines as generated by the cytokine storm, removing the excessive cytokines and alleviating the symptoms from the infection," says Rui Qing, an MIT research scientist who is one of the senior authors of the study.

The researchers have reported their initial findings in the journal Quarterly Review of Biophysics (QRB) Discovery, and they now hope to begin testing their proteins in human cells and in animal models of cytokine release and coronavirus infection.

Shuguang Zhang, a principal research scientist in the MIT Media Lab's Laboratory of Molecular Architecture, is also a senior author of the paper. Shilei Hao, a visiting scientist at MIT, is the lead author of the study, and David Jin, CEO and president of Avalon GloboCare, is also an author.

A molecular sponge

The researchers' work on blocking cytokine storms grew out of a project that Zhang began 10 years ago to develop modified versions of membrane-embedded proteins. These proteins are usually difficult to study because once they are extracted from the cell membrane, they only maintain their structure if they are suspended in special types of detergents.

After working on the problem for several years, Zhang and Qing developed a method for modifying the hydrophobic regions of these proteins, making them soluble in water and much easier to study. Their method, called the QTY code, calls for replacing some hydrophobic amino acids with hydrophilic amino acids that have similar structures. Leucine is converted to glutamine, isoleucine and valine are converted to threonine, and phenylalanine is converted to tyrosine.

Following the development of the QTY code, Jin approached Zhang's lab with the idea of designing water-soluble versions of proteins known as cytokine receptors. These receptors are found on the surface of immune cells, where they bind to cytokines -- signaling proteins that stimulate inflammation and other immune responses.

Jin believed that proteins that mimic these cytokine receptors could help combat cytokine storms, which can be produced by viral or bacterial infections, including HIV and hepatitis. They can also occur as a side effect of cancer immunotherapy.

In April 2019, Zhang's team set out to design proteins that could sop up these excess cytokines like a sponge. To do that, they used the QTY code to make water-soluble versions of cytokine receptors. When proteins are soluble in water, they can travel efficiently through the human bloodstream, while the original, hydrophobic versions of the proteins would likely stick to cells that they encountered.

The researchers also attached an antibody segment called the Fc region to their water-soluble receptor proteins. This region helps to further stabilize the proteins in the bloodstream, and makes them less likely to be attacked by the immune system.

The researchers designed proteins that mimic six different cytokine receptors, which can bind to cytokines such as interferon and interleukin, as well as a class of cytokines called chemokines. In laboratory tests of the proteins' binding strength, the researchers found that their modified proteins were able to bind to cytokines with similar strength as naturally occurring cytokine receptors.

"The cytokine receptors that we designed will soak up the majority of the excessive cytokines that are released during the cytokine storm," Jin says.

Driven by curiosity

In March, when evidence began to suggest that the SARS-CoV-2 virus was inducing cytokine storms in some patients, the researchers realized that the receptor proteins they had designed might be able to help. They decided to quickly publish the results they have generated so far, and they are now planning to do additional tests in human cells and in animal models of Covid-19 infection.

The potential usefulness of this approach underscores the importance of "curiosity-driven research," Zhang says.

"As it turns out, our research initiated in April 2019 is directly relevant to the treatment of Covid-19 infected patients," he says. "Curiosity-driven, or even proactive research often leads to preparedness, which is key to preventing future disasters."

The researchers have filed for patents on the proteins that they designed, as well as on their overall approach to creating water-soluble cytokine receptors. They hope to license the technology quickly and to collaborate with pharmaceutical and biotech companies who can help to move it toward clinical trials.

"Obviously this approach will need further animal studies, and potentially human clinical studies," Jin says. "But we have confidence that this discovery will contribute to clinical applications to address viral diseases that involve cytokine storms."

The research was funded primarily by Avalon GloboCare, and also by a fellowship from the China Scholarship Council and Chongqing University, China.

COVID 19 Technical Discussion by a Lung Doctor - Dr Mike Hansen

I don't own the copyright to this video. I am just sharing it for information purposes in the light of this global pandemic where there is no short term solution. 

The short summary is this ; the virus respects no one. However, there are some advantages 

a) Esterogen plays a part in inhibiting some of the effects of the disease. Women seem less likely to fall seriously ill or even ill at all. Males are worse hit.

b) Age and underlying symptoms do affect the severity of the disease 

c) Coronary Heart disease whereby there are calcification of the arteries can accentuate the disease especially when it causes a cytokine storm.

d) Cytokine storm is when the body's immune system goes into overdrive, and the white blood cells create so much more bad than good. No one at this juncture knows why this is so and who has overreacting immune systems.

e) There are many 'tools' to combat this, and tweaking the ventilators as well as the right dosages of medicines at critical times can and do mitigate the disease.