Reflections on "Satellite data shows missing Malaysia plane may have flown thousands of miles-source | Reuters

This is a very interesting analysis as it suggests that this plane could successfully evade the air traffic and defense system of various countries that are highly strategic in not only South East Asia but also China and India, the two major emerging powers. As such, if this is true, then this is ominous. As it might be part of an exercise carried out by some agents that may be interested to carry out a deadlier strike exploiting the loopholes they learned. One more reason why the world must united cooperate and find out what happened to flight MH370.

UPDATE 2-Satellite data shows missing Malaysia plane may have flown thousands of miles-source | Reuters

UPDATE 2-Satellite data shows missing Malaysia plane may have flown thousands of miles-source

By Mark Hosenball
(Reuters) - Analysis of electronic pulses picked up from a missing Malaysian airliner shows it could have run out of fuel and crashed into the Indian Ocean after it flew hundreds of miles off course, a source familiar with official U.S. assessments said on Friday.
The source, who is familiar with data the U.S. government is receiving from the investigation into the disappearance of the Malaysia Airlines plane, said the other, less likely possibility was that it flew on towards India.
The data obtained from pulses the plane sent to satellites had been interpreted to provide two different analyses because it was ambiguous, said the source, who declined to be identified because the investigation was continuing.
But it offers the first real clues as to the fate of Flight MH370, which officials increasingly believe was deliberately diverted off its scheduled course from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. The Boeing 777-200ER was carrying 239 people.
Two sources familiar with the probe earlier said Malaysian military radar data showed a plane that investigators suspect was Flight MH370 following a commonly used navigational route toward the Middle East and Europe when it was last spotted by radar early on March 8, northwest of Malaysia.
The electronic pulses were believed to have been transmitted for several hours after the plane flew out of radar range, said the source familiar with the data.
The most likely possibility is that after travelling northwest, the airliner did a sharp turn to the south, into the Indian Ocean where officials think, based on the available data, it flew until it ran out of fuel and crashed into the sea, added the source.
... For more information, see http://blogs.reuters.com/fulldisclosure/2010/09/27/toward-a-more-thoughtful-conversation-on-stories/

Motivation to learn behavioural economics

Over the next few weeks, I have enrolled myself in the study of behavioural economics in a class in Coursera offered by Dan Ariely and his colleagues at Duke University. It is an open format, massive online course. I know nothing about behavioural economics when I write this, but this course has several readings and assignments and hopefully, learning through at least the seleciton of articles hosted at the site, I hope to learn the basic principles of behavioural economics.

My primary motivation of learnng about behavioural economics stems from my interest to blend in behavioural genetics and patterns of how and why people access health services that are made available to them. Economic reasons are dominant reasons, but equally how economics and their behaviours are related with each other is a matter of interest.

So, over the next few weeks, I am planning to put many of these thoughts as they occur to me during myreadings and my reflections on these pages and will hopefully review these. If you happen to read this blog and would like to post your own thouhts and reflections, please feel free to add your materials or correct me.