The world we inhabit is formed from four elementary particles, for the most part:  protons, neutrons, electrons and photons.  Everything we can observe in nature, aside from particles proceeding from radioactive decay, is formed of these particles.  It is the combination of the elementary particles that form the great majority of observable matter.  These four particles are all it takes to produce a rich and varied universe.

What does particle physics study?  High energy elementary particles produced in the laboratory or found in cosmic rays.  For the most part, particle physics deals with particles produced from energy by man that live very short and somewhat interesting lives.  It is perhaps important in understanding how the universe came into being in the Big Bang, but aside from such a cataclysmic event, most of these elementary particles will never be observed in nature.  Why, in fact, would it matter?  Is it just so we can attempt to explain everything about the structure of matter and energy?  Would our lives be changed in any way if we did not have huge, expensive particle accelerator labs?   I doubt it, except for persons working at these labs.

I'm not against the study of science just for the sake of gaining knowledge, but I wonder what the purpose is in studying high energy artificially-created objects for which there is no practical use.   Yay, you can make some high energy whizz-bangs in some hyper-expensive toy that tells us something about what it was like a picosecond after theBig Bang.  Is this supposed to affect my life in any real way?  Why did I spend so much time and money studying something for which there is no practical use?  I'm wondering about my own motives here.

It's my personal opinion that governments fund this research because they don't want to be left behind if somebody discovers how to make a bomb out of elementary particles.  Governments seem to be really interested in new ways to kill people.  There are a lot of Department of Defense dollars going into high energy physics research.  Why would the army be interested in something which has no practical purpose?  Do they just like to throw away money?

Unlike most people, I've actually visited a high energy physics lab.  I walked through Fermilab many years ago when they were just installing the first colliding beam experiment.  I've seen the bubble chamber close up and been in the control room.  I've seen the equipment that powers these things.  It's all very big and interesting and impressive.  It still doesn't do much of anything.  Physicists are not looking for any practical uses for Higgs Bosons.  Scientists just want to find out how the universe is put together.  Sometimes I wonder why they need this knowledge.  When they find out how everything works are they going to try to take it all apart?  Does it change anything to have this kind of detailed knowledge of things that only exist when we create them?

I wonder if people's lives might not be better if they studied things like how to grow flowers.  I wonder if our world would be a better place if we tried to figure out how to feed all the starving people.  I think we would all be happier if governments quit thinking up ways to kill people and instead thought of ways to make people happy.  There is no practical use for the stars in the sky, aside from giving us a sense of wonder when we look at them.  There are many things for which there is no practical use.  We can take pleasure in our knowledge, I suppose.  As to whether particle physics is relevant, I think the answer to that depends on if you are a particle physicist.  Are turtles relevant?  To a zoologist, perhaps they are.  Should we spend so much money on something that has no real use?  Perhaps not.

They said it will help to ease pressures on the supply side, allowing for critical private sector projects to go ahead.

Still, they expect construction costs to hold up - and even jump by 10 to 15 per cent in 2008.

Work is already underway at the two integrated resorts at Marina Bay and Sentosa - but there are other contracts waiting to be awarded.

And amid the tight labour supply, market-watchers believe the latest deferment will help such massive projects to go ahead.

Christopher Wong, Investment Manager of Aberdeen Asset Management Asia, said: "That would actually have a positive impact in terms of competition for scarce resources will actually reduce competition of some of these raw materials and skilled resources to be re-allocated to the private sector."

Lawrence Lye, Vice-President of CIMB-GK Research, said: “The deferment may not impact cost pressures all that much for the time being because demand is still very strong.

“But, I think what will help is that when there's a constraint in resources and where there are tight timelines required for some of these big projects, the pulling back of some of these big public sector projects, will actually help the private sector meet their own deadlines."

During last week's budget speech, Finance Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam announced that S$1 billion worth of construction projects will be deferred beyond 2009.

This includes construction of several institutional projects such as student hostels and schools upgrading.

According to some analysts, it will also affect some water-related infrastructure as well as drainage projects.

While the move may ease manpower pressures, overall, experts said will not push costs downwards.

Desmond Hill, President of the Singapore Contractors Association, said: "We don't think that construction prices will be coming down any day soon because our construction market is actually a fully imported market in terms of materials, plants and equipment."

"So of course, while the demand will be somewhat reduced, we think the construction prices will remain just as volatile because material prices is subject to the world market," he continued.

Some market-watchers expect construction costs to rise by between 10 and 15 per cent in 2008 - down from the 30 per cent jump in 2007.

Meanwhile market watchers said despite the deferment, the construction industry will remain robust.

The Building and Construction Authority is forecasting projects to be awarded in 2008 to come up to between S$23 and S$27 billion.

And the private sector is expected to account for nearly 70 per cent of the works. -CNA/vm

Source : Channel NewsAsia - 18 Feb 2008

They said it will help to ease pressures on the supply side, allowing for critical private sector projects to go ahead.

Still, they expect construction costs to hold up - and even jump by 10 to 15 per cent in 2008.

Work is already underway at the two integrated resorts at Marina Bay and Sentosa - but there are other contracts waiting to be awarded.

And amid the tight labour supply, market-watchers believe the latest deferment will help such massive projects to go ahead.

Christopher Wong, Investment Manager of Aberdeen Asset Management Asia, said: "That would actually have a positive impact in terms of competition for scarce resources will actually reduce competition of some of these raw materials and skilled resources to be re-allocated to the private sector."

Lawrence Lye, Vice-President of CIMB-GK Research, said: “The deferment may not impact cost pressures all that much for the time being because demand is still very strong.

“But, I think what will help is that when there's a constraint in resources and where there are tight timelines required for some of these big projects, the pulling back of some of these big public sector projects, will actually help the private sector meet their own deadlines."

During last week's budget speech, Finance Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam announced that S$1 billion worth of construction projects will be deferred beyond 2009.

This includes construction of several institutional projects such as student hostels and schools upgrading.

According to some analysts, it will also affect some water-related infrastructure as well as drainage projects.

While the move may ease manpower pressures, overall, experts said will not push costs downwards.

Desmond Hill, President of the Singapore Contractors Association, said: "We don't think that construction prices will be coming down any day soon because our construction market is actually a fully imported market in terms of materials, plants and equipment."

"So of course, while the demand will be somewhat reduced, we think the construction prices will remain just as volatile because material prices is subject to the world market," he continued.

Some market-watchers expect construction costs to rise by between 10 and 15 per cent in 2008 - down from the 30 per cent jump in 2007.

Meanwhile market watchers said despite the deferment, the construction industry will remain robust.

The Building and Construction Authority is forecasting projects to be awarded in 2008 to come up to between S$23 and S$27 billion.

And the private sector is expected to account for nearly 70 per cent of the works. -CNA/vm

Source : Channel NewsAsia - 18 Feb 2008

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Speaking of that bridge, I don't know how the packaged that project, but I do believe that it should have been a priority project.  That means that people should have been working on it day and night.  Furthermore, I am not sure about the quality of the construction, given the events that surrounded it.

That span has existed since 1932, and serves as the main route between Valenzuela and the rest of Metro Manila.  When they announced that the bridge will be closed, it was understood by the citizens that a steel footbridge will be erected on both sides so that pedestrians may cross.  Lo and behold, the footbridge was made out of coco lumber.  Naturally, when it started to rain and water and trash started to roar down on the coco lumber posts, it collapsed, taking pedestrians with it.  Fortunately, the Tullahan River is no longer so deep (in fact, it barely has any water unless it rains hard) and no one was killed.

Rumor has it that the engineer in charge of the project was fired.  But later on, much later on, people began to realize that the workers were just dumping soil on the road to raise the height of the pavement so it will meet with the height of the previously elevated stretches of McArthur Highway.  There was no gravel or reinforced concrete when they poured the asphalt.  It was also disturbing to hear an official of DPWH claim that water from the river was ruining the asphalt when there was not the smallest bit of macadam  on it. After their work, there was now a layer of asphalt, but nothing underneath it.  Not a month after the work was "completed", parts of the road were already caving in.

I don't know what to think now.  Should I attribute malice or stupidity to this comedy of errors?  The traffic in Manila is now one of the worst in the world, and  the frequent street work is not helping at all.

This was manifested in the manner by which the SP majority approved a resolution to withdraw an earlier authority given to Governor Tupas for him to contract a loan and build a convention center beside the new Iloilo Capitol building.

The project, with an estimated cost of P350 million, will rise on the property occupied by the old and dilapidated Iloilo Rehabilitation Center, which has already transferred to the new P120 million facility in Barangay Nanga, Pototan, Iloilo.

It was conceived about three years ago when the province decided to relocate its provincial jail and move prisoners to bigger quarters.

The implementation of the project is totally unacceptable to the Suplico group.

This project would become another major achievement for the Tupas administration and enhance its image as a result-oriented government that delivers the goods.

What did they do?

First, they constituted the entire Sanggunian as a committee of the whole and designated board member Arthur "Toto" Defensor, Jr. as chairman to inquire into alleged anomalies in the project.

The committee then embarked on a witch-hunt to find excuses on how to kill the project, inviting people unfamiliar with the project to give opinions and try to put its feasibility into question. The committee never invited the provincial administrator who is the best person to enlighten them about its viability and necessity. They grilled and insulted and humiliated the financial advisor to the project, Mr. David Bunevacz, just to create doubt about its wisdom.

On the over-all, the committee could not find the right excuse to kill the project. Nobody could show that the project is not viable. Nobody disputed the fact that it will help Iloilo become a major convention venue, which will in turn push the economy of the province forward. The committee's leadership ignored the apparent benefits from the project. In short, they were only interested in killing the project, and any testimony in favor of the project was unwelcome. Whenever Mr. Bunavacz tried to explain the benefits of the project, and the feasibility as an income generating facility, he was cut short.

It was clear that the committee had pre-judged the project before the hearing, and it was hardly surprising that its report was totally against the project. Hence, in the last week of October 2007, chairman Defensor submitted his report and asked for a withdrawal of the authority given to the governor, notwithstanding the fact that the governor had already signed the loan agreement with Philippine Veterans Bank, and the project is already at the stage where the designs are being finalized.

But then there was a catch.

The Suplico group found out that the internal rules of procedure for the Sanggunian imposed a two-thirds vote requirement for the rescission or abrogation of an ordinance or resolution.

That meant they needed ten (10) votes. Their voting strength was only eight (8)

Their solution? Change the rules of the game.

The Defensor report was tabled momentarily, and the majority worked to change the internal rules of procedure.

Unnoticed by the minority, the majority floor leader, Oscar Richard Garin, changed the language of that portion on amendments or abrogation or revision of previously approved ordinances and resolutions. Instead of a two-thirds vote, the new rule lowered the vote requirement to only "majority of all members present".

When this maneuver was noticed, the minority hollered in protest. But nothing can stop the Suplico-Garin-Defensor cabal. The measure was passed. The minority was simply out-voted.

Now that the rules have been changed to favor them, the majority took the Defensor report from the table and approved it last Thursday afternoon. Seven members voted in favor of the report, three said "nay" while one abstained. In a convenient maneuver that would otherwise be called "cheating" in a game of basketball, the majority rescinded the authority given to the governor.

Governor Tupas, however, is unfazed by this childish, unethical and illegal act.

The loan agreement has been signed, and contractual obligations have been created.

The Constitution says that "no law impairing the obligation of contracts shall be passed."

The resolution is not exactly a law, but it is seeking the same purpose: to impair the contractual obligations between the province and the bank.

Besides, the benefits from the project are many and will redound to the general welfare of the people of Iloilo.

With this in mind, that resolution is a mere scrap of paper signed by Suplico's group, an expression of their sentiments to block anything good to be done by the Tupas administration. This is politics at its worst.