Gun or No Gun

The recent shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, reminds me of a gun-related accident that happened to a family friend.

Years ago when my siblings and I were still in grade school, one of our mother’s God brothers liked to spend times chasing wild animals. So during the hunting season, he would take his guns to far away places where wild boars roamed. Since we had never seen any trophies in his home or heard of him telling his big “fish” stories, no one really took him as a serious hunter. Indeed, he was not. And he proved the others right when we heard what had happened to him in his last outing to the high country. Instead of aiming his shotgun at a wild creature, he shot himself in the foot and lost a big toe!

It happened many years ago when we were kids. But I still remember the roaring laughter bursted in the room when we heard the pain this family friend had inflicted upon himself by his own doing. Fortunately, the physical suffering in this case was not fatal. But the pain and suffering from the severed toe had definitely helped cut short of the career of a would-be hunter. - Ayee

A Merry Christmas to All!

Last week I got an unexpected reminder that Santa Claus is coming to town soon!

On the day I went to the lab to have some blood work done, the technician who had just jabbed a sharp needle into my vein sent me home with a Merry Christmas instead of a friendly good-bye. Because there were still a few more days before the month of the Advent, greetings like Merry Christmas did put me off-guarded a bit. But it did not diminish the good will imbedded in these two simple words thou!

This year I was somewhat sluggish on preparing the upcoming Yuletide season. This untimely but sincere greeting had just given me a jolt that I badly needed. It prompted me to realize the season that allows us to take a pause after a trying year is just around the corner. The festive celebration during Christmas holiday also provides us tons of excuses to splurge a little on ourselves and others. In addition, I was pleased to see that I was not the only one who sends “Merry Christmas” wishes to others during the season of love, peace and miracls. - Ayee.

Recipes for Success

Now and then, we all have had a cinnamon roll or two for a treat. While busy licking the sticky icing off our fingers, probably none of us would direct our thoughts to the good recipes that bring this ubiquitous snack to the marketplace. A simple product such as a cinnamon roll or a cupcake can be the basic ingredient for a success story in the baking goods business.

And Cinnabon, Inc., is one of these successful companies in the industry. This Atlanta-based franchiser was featured in the last week’s “Undercover Boss.”* It holds the right to market its name sake’s franchise that sells freshly baked cinnamon buns. According to its president, Kate Cole, her company through 9,000 franchisees sold a half billion-dollar worth of cinnamon buns each year. Evidently, even in a bad economic time like what we are facing now, business at Cinnabon’s counter continues to thrive.

Interestingly, two years ago Cinnabon added an extra ingredient in its winning mixtures. It hired Kate Cole. She, at 34 years old, is the youngest CEO ever featured on “Undercover Boss.” Her own recipe for success calls for determination and hard work. Perhaps growing up in a single-mom family had made her more resilient and a better decision maker. She, a college dropout, also has the humility to remember her many mentors who led her to becoming the president of a multimillion-dollar corporation from a Hooter girl at a Hooter’s restaurant. - Ayee

@A CBS Telelvsion Production

Generous Bosses

Now every Friday night, I glued myself to the television watching “Undercover Boss.”* I enjoy this popular reality show because in it everyone is a winner, including a couch potato like me.

The stories uncovered on this weekly show were often uplifting and inspiring. They had provoked many poignant thoughts in me. Somehow the show told us that happy faces are not immune to profound tragedies. As a reality show, its casts are made of real people, including the bosses. We all know real people have real people challenges.

Now let’s count our winnings.

First, for the undercover boss and his(or her) company, they got a worldwide exposure on television which is simply priceless from the marketing aspect of the business. The undercover mission also gave the boss opportunities to view his company from bottom up. So the boss could be more in sync with what was going on within his company. The hands-on intelligence the boss gathered from his undercover operation will also help him take better care of his company’s business.

Next, instead of getting fired or reprimanded for “spilling the beans,” the hard-working and honest employees got recognized with both constructive criticisms and material rewards. And these incentives, tangible and intangible, can be a game changer for the recipients, their colleagues and the company they are working for.

And for a passive viewer like me, this Emmy winning television program had afforded me a chance to see a side of the business that I was not able to discern in a company's news releases, and other business publications. - Ayee

*A CBS production.

More does not mean better.

I do not know if others had the same experiences as I did after my desktop computer was updated with the latest software.

Matter of fact, I am very appreciative of the smart engineers who invented many useful and smart gadgets for us. I do, however, wonder why our computers would need that many updates. My computer is full of them. And the latest ones my computer got did not seem to be very user-friendly either.

After I downloaded the latest Internet software onto my computer a month so ago, accessing to the Net became a snail-paced process. Despite the high-speed services I have on my desktop, now it takes me much longer to get into the cyberspace. And my trouble does not end here. Once on line, the top part of the screen is full of colorful icons that have no uses to me. I am sure the programs these icons represent take up a lot of free spaces on the hard drive.

It must be my third or fourth attempt. A few days ago, I tried again to give my feedback to this blogger’s site, I ended up having four Internet connections at the same time. No wonder, my computer is getting slower.

This newly redesigned site with pleasing orange colored text looks very “busy” to me too. It is teeming with many extra options and tools which the users did not ask for. It is nice to have accesses to all these extra software programs. But who has the extra time needed to explore them? - Ayee

Love thy body.

Recently, I signed up an online course in biology. This self-study program may not be for everyone. But for me it is the way to go for a learning moment that can stay with me for a lifetime. After I waded through streams of foreign concepts and Latin terminologies, I did feel a bit smarter on the facts of the life that my parents had never told me. The study of life also left me in awe on how well and perfectly a human body is made of and organized. According to the text book, “Inquiry into Life “*, a human body is made with billions of wiggling cells. These tiny organisms, invisible to the naked eyes, are the basic components of a perfect body. Fueled by nutrients from carbohydrate, protein, and fat, as well as chemical elements, fresh air, and water, they grow into becoming parts of the eleven organ systems in a human body. Except the appendix, each biological system built intricately of cellular tissues performs its own unique function that is conducive to the well-being of its bodily host. While other organs work on getting foods digested, nutrients transported, excess energy stored, wastes removed, and genes accurately replicated, the central nerve system together with the hormonal glands is busy coordinating the works that others did to help the body grow, regenerate and reach its maturity. In addition, the human body is equipped with a homeostasis mechanism that keeps the body’s internal environment in a perfect balance. When the body’s internal condition is out of the kilter, for instance the blood chemistry is offside from its norm, the body will get sick. A human body is also imbedded with a built-in advance warning system. The body has the ability of manifesting its feelings when it is being pushed over a tipping point. - Ayee *Tenth edition by Sylvia S. Mader.

Another one bit the dust.

I had just recycled a digital answering machine at a neighborhood thrift store. Hopefully, someone else can still get some good uses out of this electrical contraption before it becomes part of the heap in the landfills. It looks like that leaps and bounds in telecommunication technology had claimed yet another victim. With features like voice mail, call waiting and caller-ID included in our regular phone service, this 20th century invention is no longer a must-have item in our bustling and hustling life. Our friends and family members have not left any message on our machine for ages. They can contact us instantly through many wireless devices. The messages left in our machine these days are mostly from the telemarketer. Portable answering machine, like what it did to the personal answering services industry, itself becomes redundant and obsolete. Now I wonder which e-gadget will be the next casualty under the fast moving technological cloud? - Ayee

$430 Million of False Medicare Claims*

When I heard the arrest of many healthcare providers in many US cities on fraud charges, I had two thoughts come to mind. First I felt sad for the perpetrators who would commit such despicable crime. What they did to the Medicare program is not only criminal. It is also immoral. We always think that only the destitute resolves to crime to survive. But many arrested are professionals, like doctors, nurses, and administrators. My second thought on this massive fraud case came upon the question on how the costs of the government sponsored medical services are determined? Many years ago, healthcare industry started “de-bundling” their services. We all know when a service got de-bundled, invariably not only the cost to the users of the service rises, so is the complexity of the underlying service. Based on this real life experience, it is not hard for me to speculate perhaps the de-bundling of healthcare plays a pivotal role why oversights and abuses are prevalent in a government program like Medicare. - Ayee *“Medicare Fraud Crack Down,” The Nightly Business Report, October 04, 2012

Number can be misleading.(II)

Yes, indeed. According to what is reported in the news, in 2011 Mitt Romney paid a whopping $1.9 million income tax at the rate of 14%. Personally, I think based on the amount of taxes Mr. Romney paid to the US treasury, not at what the rate he was paying, the public should commend him being a law-biding and productive citizen who contributes to the country’s fiscal well-being. One-million-nine-hundred thousand dollars are a lot of money. It can make some definitive difference in the looming government deficits. When we think mathematically, we will realize that it will take 99% of us, myself included, despite at higher income tax rates, many, many, many years, even life times, to pay $1.9 million in taxes. So let’s pay attention to the actual amount, not the rate, and be fair! - Ayee

Another Simple Solution

Recently, I learned from an Internet posting in Chinese(1) that the old standby mixture of salt and water(2) can help us prevent periodontal disease, a common dental complaint. I remember before the advent of store-bought oral rinses, we often mixed salt with water at home and used it as a mouth wash.

Periodontal disease is a gum ailment caused by the bacteria in the mouth. These invisible germs can infect the gum around the teeth and cause the gum to bleed. Infected gum is the reason why many lose their healthy teeth prematurely. And the bacteria in the month can also infect body’s other organs and tissues such as heart and blood vessels.

Therefore, it is important that we keep our gum free of these harmful bugs. To do this, whether we like it or not, we visit our dentist periodically to get our teeth cleaned. During the many sessions in a dentist’s chair, we are also subject to a procedure called “root planning” that involves digging below the gum line of each tooth to keep the gum around the root firm and healthy. And these preventative measures hurt not only our pocket books. Simply, the thought of the next dentist’s appointment makes me grimace with fear.

Now according to this unknown writer’s angelic dentist, there is a simple and painless measure to ward off periodontal disease: Just remember to rinse our mouth twice a day with salt water. - Ayee

Notes:
(1) Author unknown
(2) For individuals on a low/no-salt diet, check with your doctor before switching your month rinse to salt water.

Encouraging Statistics

The other day, I took a few household items to a charity’s thrift store to be recyled. One of my fellow patrons in the store asked me if I could be of help to one of the other shoppers there. She and the store cashier were having problems understand each other. Unfortunately, neither of us could step up and be helpful. But this chance encounter at a recycling store got these two transplanted Chinese talking. And I felt privileged at what this robust senior had shared with me.

The tall fellow attired in simple and airy summer outfits, happened to be a retired Traditional Chinese Medicine or TCM doctor. This explained why he was buying those rare amber-colored glass bottles with tight lids that are hinged on heavy metal levers. They are for his home-brew herbal teas, of course! The TCM doctor with a Ph. D. degree in biochemistry comes from a family of many health care practitioners. Now in his retirement, he still sees a few patients with terminal illness like cancer. At first, I thought he was bragging when he proudly told me of his 70% success rate on cancer patients. Then I realized there were no comelling reasons why he would want to impress a stranger whom he just met at a thrift store.

Regrettably, the impromptu chat between the two strangers was short. But I will definitely look out for this learned retiree the next time when I visit that same thrift store. - Ayee

“Bessie’s Doll”*

This is a bitter sweet story between two innocent village kids. Unwittingly, the innate empathy they had for the others had helped turn a cruel world around them into a gentler and happier place.

Being neglected by his own parents, Tommy was unkempt and a mischievous boy. By no means, he was the one his neighbors would open their welcoming arms to. This was the very reason why Miss Octavia, one of the villagers, always shot Tommy away whenever she spotted him near her well-tended flower garden.

But for Bessie, a disabled girl next door, Tommy was the world for her. Not only he was her best playmate. Tommy also protected her from being bullied by others. When they first met, Bessie’s sweet greeting enthralled Tommy. Being a village’s poor urchin, there was never anyone else had ever welcomed Tommy like what Bessie had to him. From then on, Tommy became Bessie’s best friend.

One day, after Tommy took Bessie to see a doll in a blue silk outfit in the window of a village store, Bessie made Tommy promise that he would take her to visit the doll in the store window every day. Even though neither of these kids could ever afford to buy the doll with golden locks, Bessie decided to call the doll with “uncanny brown eyes”* Roselle Geraldine. And it broke the feeble little girl’s heart and body when she learned Roselle was sold.

Since Tommy was the one who showed Bessie the doll in that store window, he felt miserably too. While wondering about the village trying to see how he could mend Bessie’s broken heart over the loss of Roselle, he overheard that Miss Octavia was away and the unexpected frost overnight would definitely ruin the dahlias plants she had in the garden. Notwithstanding the many unpleasant face-offs he had had with the owner of these prized plants, for his love of flowers, Tommy decided to cover Miss Octavia’s plants with old newspapers.

When his neighbor returned and discovered what Tommy had done to save her plants, Miss Octavia had a change of heart on this unkempt kid living in the poorer side of the town. She asked him if there was anything she could do for him. Yes, Tommy replied. He asked for a doll so he could give it to Bessie.

To reward Tommy’s unselfishness, his providence must have worked overtime. Miss Octavia also happened to be the one who bought that coveted doll from that village store. - Ayee

*Against the odds: tales of achievement by L. M. Montgomery, 1993 edition edited by Rea Wilmshurst

“Income-based Repayment” Program

For former students who have problems servicing their monetary obligations to Uncle Sam, this flexible repayment option may help them find some leg-room in their tight cash-flow position.

Last Thursday, Sylvia Hall of the Nightly Business Report told us that under this not widely-used Income-based Repayment plan, student loan payment is pegged at the borrowers’ adjusted earnings. Under this scheme, the amount to pay back each month is limited to15% of the borrowers’ income. If after 25 years or 300 payments, the loans remain unpaid, the government will forgive the entire remaining balance.

Unfortunately, the government’s good intention to help many borrowers of the student loan does come with a couple of catches.

Firstly, the loan the government forgives will become the borrowers’ taxable income.

Secondly, under this plan, the borrowers will be paying more interest on the loan due to higher unpaid balance.

Today, there are only 85,000 out of 1.6 million borrowers of student loans have subscribed to this repayment option. - Ayee

Food for Thought - Brain Foods*

When a renown neurologist in Taiwan discovered herself suffering from the onset of dementia, Dr. Liu* went public on what is ailing her. Instead of fear-mongering the public, she suggests to us the many other measures that we can do to help our brain stay healthier.

According to the good doctor, besides being both mentally and physically proactive with positive attitude, certain foods and eating habits can also help us keep this debilitating mental malaise at bay.

And the following is what the Doc has ordered.

• Chew our food well and eat slowly.

The motion to chew brings blood/nutrients to the brain.

• Make sure having breakfast each morning.

Nutrients in food help replenishing the glucose lost during sleep the night before.

• Stay hydrated/exercise chi-kung:

Water and oxygen are essential for good health.

• Have sufficient folic acid and Vitamin B12:

Both are considered brain foods.

• Add curry in diet:

Turmeric in curry is considered a strong antioxidant.

- Ayee

* From a posting on Internet in Chinese. Source unknown.
*Dr. S.C. Liu is a professor at Yang-Ming University in Taipei. She also practices her profession at Taipei’s largest government hospital.

Food for Thought - Ionized Water*

Food for Thought - Ionized Water*

This morning on the train I got to talk to a blind woman who sat next to me.

Once we got over the small talk, she told me how she lost her eye sight after a routine cataract surgery. Today, the cataract operation is considered an effective and safe remedy to restore eyesight. But ironically for this retired registered nurse, the surgery on her right eye went badly. However, the outcome of the operation would be a satisfactory one if the surgeon who operated on her would just listen to what the patient tried to tell him after he implanted the new lens.

Now by choice another cataract operation is no longer an option for this former healthcare provider. To slow down the progression of the blindness in her other eye, this individual who used to practise allopathic medicine is actively looking for alternative treatments for her declining eye sight. Now she uses ionized water to quench her thirst and to soothe her eyes.

Unfortunately, our impromptu health talk for eye cares ended when I reached my destination. But I am most grateful to this kind lady for trying to share with me what she had learned of this common health issue. I have heard from this gentle senior that besides surgery, there may be other preventive measures for an eye condition that is creeping up on us while we are getting older.

My chance encounter with this friendly fellow-passenger this morning also brought me a poignant but inspiring moment.

Of course, it is sad to see others lose their precious eye sight due to someone’s unwillingness to listen. But her proactive spirit on combating her disability is very encouraging. Instead of throwing in her handkerchiefs, she strives to find cures for this debilitating eye condition. - Ayee

*According to Wikipedia, ionized water is being marketed as an antioxant that supposes to slow aging and prevent diseases.

Joe Plumber

It seems for many unemployed people, being your own bosses may be the way to go. This was probably one of the reasons why Vice President Joe Biden made reference to a Joe plumber when he was campaigning for his vice-presidentship five years ago.

A service job whether it is a handyman, or a pet sitter, might be a road to becoming self-employed. We have about 350 million people in America, and seven billions plus around the world. Many of them can be our relatives, friends, neighbors or total strangers. And all of them would require helps of all sorts sometimes. Therefore, there is no lack of potential customers around. And opening a small business that offers our personalized professional services may be a more satisfactory alternative than looking for a job with a mainstream business organization.

Tonight’s Nightly Business Report on PBS had just told us a story of a successful small business in Miami, Florida. Last year, a young couple, who studied music in college, opened their musical school with borrowed money. To their surprises, the music teaching business was a financial success. It broke even within six months. Today, the school not only provides steady employment for the two young founders. It has also had to hire additional staff. - Ayee

A Home-Made Mouthwash

Someone looking for an alcohol-free mouth rinse may want to try this one made of apple cider vinegar. Originally, this simple mixture is prepared for soothing sore throats But it can also be doubled up as a mouthwash as the author suggested.

Recently, I had to give up a true and tried mouthwash that I have used for years but it is laden with alcohol. Luckily in The Vinegar Book*, I found an alcohol-free one that I can prepare myself.

In addition to being inexpensive and easy to make, it does not require any ingredients with mind boggling named chemicals that we often see in the ones on store shelves. We can get all the ingredients no further than our kitchen cupboard and bathroom sink.

And the recipe of my new mouthwash is as follows:

Add one tablespoon of apple cider vinegar into a cup of warm water.

- Ayee

*The kitchen edition by Emily Thacker

Saint Anthony has come to my aid again!

Ever since I learned Saint Anthony can help us find lost things, I did take advantage of the Franciscan brother’s divine power on many occasions with amazing outcomes.

Recently, I decided to revisit orphan Annie’s profound idea of “the Joy of Strife.”

After I nearly reread the entire book filled with life’s many simple pleasures like friendship, kindness, hard works and the colorful and fragrant country sides, I was not able to locate these four little words in Maud Montgomery’s 1908 book.

The book, Anne of Green Gables, is indeed a pleasure read. But the insightful phrase I was looking for in the book had somehow eluded me. Then as soon as I thought of enlisting the most reverend saint’s intervention, these four inviting words appeared almost instantaneously on the page in front of me right under my nose.

I suppose I “Was blind but now I see.” * - Ayee

*From Amazing Grace How Sweet the Sound by John Newtow (1725-1807)

A Natural Air Cleaner

If someone is looking for an air cleaner, be sure looking into the common snake plant.

Many a month ago, there was a picture of an elderly businessman in my newspaper. It seemed to me this robust octogenarian in the picture was engulfed by the familiar-looking green leaves in his corner office. Some snarling plants with sword-like leaves had certainly invaded his place of business. It was not hard to notice that in this ivory towner there were neither expensive artworks hanging on the wall nor shining crystal chandeliers dangling from the ceiling but snake plants!

And the sight of these unruly plants in a place where the most serious business was conducted made me wonder. Why on earth this most important person in the company would let his private office become an African jungle?

And here is why!

It is because snake plant is the best air cleaner among all indoor plants. - Ayee

Food for Thought - Dos and Don’ts on Food-Safety

These simple and inexpensive food-safe practices help a kidney specialist in Taiwan, keep toxic elements away from his diets.

Dr. Chi-Liang Lin, a survivor of a fatal infectious kidney disease himself, believes if we are not diligent on what we eat, foods like the air we breathe and the water we drink, can be harmful to us. So he is very careful about what him and his families eat. He ensures he and his family maintain a diet that is low in salt, sugar and oil. The family does not eat out. They brown-bag their meals when away from home.

He and his wife buy their green grocers when they are aplenty in the market. The fast-growing vegetables during the peak growing season cost less. They are also likely with the least pesticides. Of course, they wash all vegetables and fruits thoroughly before using them.

When eating pork sometimes, they buy quality ones with CAS rating*.

Fish is a constant item on the doc’s menu. He prefers palm-size fish to the large ones. The reason is that the bigger the fish the more toxins they may carry. And the wild saltwater fish is always the doc’s choice.

To retain the nutrients of their foods, boiling and steaming is the family’s preferred mode to prepare their meals.

The doc has no uses of preserved or pickled foods like cured meats or sausages either. He also avoids soy sauce. Some fermentation process in making of this tasty condiment may sometimes contaminate the final products. - Ayee

*No details on this rating system.

To Borrow or Not to Borrow . . .

Maybe it is the dire reflection of a prolonged bad economy. Today’s college graduates are not only out of jobs. They also burdened themselves with a hefty debt load. So far college students, past and present, have borrowed nearly a trillion dollars from Uncle Sam.

Like many others, I also think education is a most worthy investment. Despite all these “i” inventions, what we learned and experienced from and at the schools will never be out of style in our life time. And the government’s intention was at the right place when it decided to help students who were not as well financially endowed as their fortunate peers. Therefore, if we are determined to equip ourselves with additional schooling, borrowing from governments to finance such undertaking is the way to go.

However, there are also other alternatives that can help us besides borrowing from the governments.

The first one comes to mind are the scholarships and bursaries that universities offer to their students. So before plunging into the sea of red ink, the would-be students should check out their prospective school’s website, they will be surprised as to how many financial aids are available there.

Private foundations are also promising sources for financial assistances. Once I heard Brenda Gates, co-founder of the Gates’ family foundation, told a news reporter that among many other humanitarian works her foundation did around the world, it had also awarded thousands of scholarships.

The second alternatives to finance a college degree is having a part time job or attending night schools. This working/studying arrangement may take us longer to get our desired degree, but it does give us some autonomy. And it seems to me to be the most popular one among many mature college students.

And I leave my favorite one to the last.

The best source of financing higher education is the family’s bank account. We all know most of the parents would definitely loose their purse strings for their children's higher education. Many of them sacrificed their own comfort and well being, so they can help their young family members prepare for a better life ahead. - Ayee

A Learning Moment

I think we can learn a few things from the plight of a determined pooch. This Chihuahua lookalike dog’s unwavering faith in his heartless owner had touched the minds and souls of many who had met him by a basketball court or read of his story on line in the May Day edition of the World Journal*.

In May last year, someone in a grey passenger car left a yellowish dog by the basketball court behind a drive-in movie lot near a teacher’s college in Beijing. For a while, every time when there was a car similar to his former owner’s approaching, this forgiving doggie also known as Little Wang, would run to the car with wagging tail and welcoming barks. Today, Little Wang no longer runs after the passing cars, but remains firmly at the site to ensure that he is right there when his owner returns. Little Wang seems to have the insight for not venturing away far from where he was left behind. After an entire year, Little Wang, rain or shine, is still waiting at the site where he was dropped off.

In the past, I had read of a dog in Japan with the same dogged determination. He waited for his deceased human friend’s return at the subway station every evening until he himself died of old age. There is also a similar story of a terrier named Bobbie in Edinburgh, Scotland. Bobbie guarded his dear friend’s grave until his own demise fourteen years later. Stories of devoted pets make our stomach turn. And yet, there are people in this world would dispose of their “true friend” like what Little Wang’s owner had done to him. Sad! - Ayee

P.S.

For pet owners, when looking for their lost pets, make sure check out the places where you and your pets had visited in the past.

*From Worldjournal.com

Wayward Shots

During this year’s Masters tournament a few weeks ago in Augusta, Georgia, golf industry’s three titans, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player, expressed their collective concerns over the agile golf balls. It seems now these days, golf balls can roll many, many extra yards after they land on the fairway. To accommodate the extremely long shots, many golf courses had to be lengthened at great expenses.

Since all these extra reconstruction costs will eventually trickle down to the consumers in the forms of higher green fees and exorbitant membership dues, golfing may become unreachable for the average players both financially and physically. As the three golfing greats had perceived, longer golf courses are definitely not good for their industry.

I realize that there are many more urgent situations in this imperfect world that needs our immediate attention. Who cares how far a golf ball flies! But in the States, golfing is a quite common past time for the average public. Fortunately, there are many well-maintained public links around with reasonable green fees. In the event, if the public courses are following what the private clubs did to accommodate the flying golf balls, pretty soon this enjoyable ancient sport may become a past for the many weekend duffers. - Ayee

Adverse Side Effects

Recently, from indigestion to high blood pressure and ulcer, I was from one prescription drug to another. So far, I suppose I should consider myself lucky that there are only a few adverse side-effects that made me a frequent visitor to the doctor’s offices, hospitals, laboratories, and pharmacies. Medicines are supposed to cure us. The information came with my prescriptions was not kidding.
The side effects from the ulcer meds were so unbearable. The antibiotics I took sure made me sicker than I really was. One of them caused my mouth becoming exceedingly thirsty throughout the night. And I am now combating the possibility of being dehydrated. Hopefully, with congees and soups, I will get myself back to normal soon.

Through all these challenges, I learned that we can report adverse side effects from prescription drugs to government agencies which monitor these sorts of things. Since I do not wish to have this awful side effects inflict on anybody, I will report my unpleasant and harmful experience to the right monitoring agencies*. - Ayee

*In USA, call MedWatch/FDA at 1-800-FDA(or332)1088.
In Canada, call Health Canada at 1-866-234-2345

Fore!

Spring is here. So is the golfing fever in Augusta, Georgia. Today, all players at Masters Championship put their best shots on display. Their shots not only are accurate but are also very long. Once again they made this year’s Masters another memorable one with a double eagle by a South African player. Louis Oosthuizen lost the coveted green jacket to Bubba Watson, a self-taught American pro, and a leftie, but the precision shot he made today on the second hole earned himself a prominent place at Augusta National Golf Club’s history. The first double eagle happened a long time ago in 1935. These guys are sure good as their commercials said. This explains why the purses for the men’s professional tours are so generous.

And I am so glad that I got to watch this year’s Masters again on television. As long as the players of the game act gentlemanly on the course and do not swing their clubs against their competitors, I think I will always be a loyal fan to this frustrating but exhilarating game. - Ayee

Anti-Cancer: A New Way of Life*, David Servan-Schreiber, MD, PhD, 2009

This is a story of one man’s journey to combat a dreadful disease.

While researching brain mapping at the University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania, Dr. Servan-Schreiber (1961 - 2011), a psychiatrist, accidently discovered a malignant growth on his brain. After he undertook the conventional cancer therapies such as surgery, radiation and chemo treatments, the good doctor decided to look for cancer cures through alternative treatments. Based on his voluminous researches, the studious doctor found the cancer is caused by “the foods we eat, air we breathe and harmful chemicals we encountered.”* By changing his way of living according to what he had learned, he was able to keep his disease at bay for nearly 20 years.

And the most revealing thing the late doctor found in his battle with cancer was his discovery of the sense of self-awareness. I do not know if I got it right. In his war against cancer, the cofounder of the Alternative Medicines Center at the University of Pittsburgh also found that recovered cancer patients emerge from their disease with a new perspective in life. They become more spontaneous. - Ayee

Mega Lottery, A Vice or A Joy?

Now we all know there are three lucky winners for the last week’s Mega Lottery. Each of them will take home a whopping $216 million before uncle Sam’s take. Hopefully, the huge amount of money the new riches won can and will do a lot of good for themselves and their communities.

Too bad, my ticket was not one of these three winning tickets.

Am I disappointed? Of course, I am. Am I in despair because I lost my bet? I am certainly not. Even though, the mesmerizing thought on the possibility that I got an equal chance winning the jackpot had never escaped from me, I do not condone people who gambled their hard-earned cash away like there is no tomorrow. But in this mega draw, the dollar I spent for my ticket did fetch me great joy. Before the winning numbers were unveiled, I, like many others, had dreamed of the good deeds I could do with the money from the windfall. Those dreams of pies in the sky not only made my dreams sweeter but had also brought many smiles to my face. - Ayee

Food for Thought - Agony of Indigestion

Recently I suffered a bad case of indigestion. I never knew the symptom of this seemingly common ailment can be that agonizing.

My on-and-off heartburn started not long after I had some dental works. And it did not take long for my body giving out subtle signs that told me there was something wrong somewhere. At first, the churning in the stomach got ignored since it did not last. But as the days went by, the bothering feeling lingered and became unbearable. Making a long story short, I regret that I did not seek medical cares on my upsetting stomach sooner.

By not taking care of the queasy feeling on the onset, this common and preventable discomfort can harm the entire digestive system. It can even elevate blood pressures.

Now I know a simple personal habit like how we chew our foods can exert great influences, both good and bad, over our physical well-being. - Ayee

Rent-to-Own

Finally, one of the country’s largest banks is going to employ a tried marketing strategy on the homes it has foreclosed.

Under certain conditions, the Bank of America will lease the homes it owns back to their original owners. As noted in my previous blog, besides saving a bundle in maintenance on the foreclosed homes*, I think it is possible that the Bank will be able to unload those homes sooner at a better price. We all know a neighborhood full of residents is definitely more attractive than a desert one. And an occupied home is more inviting than a boarded-up one.

In the past when the market was glutted with unsold homes, developers would offer a rent-to-own packages to unload their excess inventory.

Let’s hope other banks will join BOA on this soon. - Ayee

*See "To Rent or Not to Rent," Thought of the Day, AC, July 26, 2011

Low Interest Rates

Bill Gross is right on the money.

Last night on PBS’s Nightly Business Report, the chief investment officer of the world’s largest bond fund said the government’s low interest is punishing the savers. It makes the seniors poorer.

And I think the current policy on interest rates also makes the government poorer. With less income, poorer seniors will definitely spend less and pay lesser income taxes. In addition, it is likely they will be entitled to more income-based government benefits.

It sure does not look like a win-win situation here. - Ayee

“The Joy of Strife ”*

I am trying to see if I can find some common threads between what our parents told us in our impressionable years and the profound thoughts this four-word phrase tried to convey.

In a moment of awakening, the orphan girl, Anne Shirley of Green Gables*, thought of facing new challenges is more fun than just for the winnings. After she decided to give up a scholarship she won, she was in awe with the idea of “the joy of strife.” She told herself that “next to trying and winning, the best thing is to trying and failing.”*

And the epiphany of this sixteen-year-old girl does have some things in common with what our late parents had instilled in us when my siblings and I were still in the school system studying. It seems at that time our young lives were always tethered to exams. There were tests for every kind of schools from neighborhood kindergartens to top-notched universities. And I remember the hardest were the ones for colleges of our choice. Of course, there were many times we failed miserably in some of them. Thankfully, we must have the most lenient parents as far as exam scores were concerned. They never admonished us for failed grades. Instead, they would arrange for extra tutoring for us so we could take the flunked tests again.

However, before they sent us off to new tutors, they and other elderly members of the family would always remind us of what a Chinese war-strategist of Three Kingdoms era, Zhu Ge-liang*, told his soldiers after they were defeated by their enemies. The wise thinker said to them more defeats mean more battles ahead.

In spite of the facts these moving thoughts were originated many years apart, they both bear the same timeless truth that one can always learn something while trying. - Ayee

*Lucy Maud Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables, 1994 edition
*Three Kingdoms from years 220 to 265

Food for Thought - Simple Foods

It seems to me the idea of eating simple and unrefined foods are not new to us. The prolific Amereican writer, John Steinbeck, had already told us in his 1935 book Tortilla Flat that simple foods are good for us:

Among the many residents in a seaside community, Tortilla Flat, there was a single mom with eight children. In good years when bean crops were aplenty, Senoria Teresina fed her growing family with tortillas and the leftover beans that she and her mother salvaged from the field. But when the time was bad, leftover pulses were in short supply. To feed her hungry kids, the hard-pressed mom accepted charities from her equally destitute neighbors. But the fine and delicate foods such as cured meat, fish, cheeses, sugars, white flour, and even the fresh greens, the kind hearted residents of the neighborhood flop house pilfered from the local grocers never did any good to her children. These refined foods made them sick. However, once the children were put back on their old diet of beans and tortilla breads, all of their ailments disappeared. - Ayee

A True Angel

I do not know if others had experienced the same uncomfortable moment as I did today. Luckily, a total stranger stepped up for me and made my day.

Influenza is making me sniff and cough. And facial tissues become one of the must-have items to help me dry my chaffed nose. In the past before I stepped out for errands, I always had some soft tissues with me just in case of an emergency.

Today in my outing I forgot including a few paper tissues in my care package. And as soon as I sat down at a public office to conduct my business, I felt right away I could use a Kleenex right there. And believe or not, before I even had a second to ask for a paper tissue from anyone, a senior lady sitting a few feet away from me stepped up and offered me one of the many tissues she has had in her pocket. I was totally overwhelmed by this stranger's response to my uncomfortable plight. I wonder how she would know that I was in urgent need of a soft tissue.

Of course, the caring action of this kind person had startled me. But I am also most grateful to her for her timely assistance to get me out of some uncomfortable and embarrassing moments.

And may God bless that dear lady! - Ayee

Most Important Persons in A Business

Since I started watching Undercover Boss*, a reality television show, I often wondered who would be the most important person in a work place, rank-and-file staff or the top guns?

We all know a for-profit enterprise without clients will not survive in a competitive world. Loyal customers are what a successful business needs. To have many clients and also to keep them, the business must have empathic and apt employees who know how to be responsive to their valuable patrons. So in my book, the front-line employees, most of them making a fraction of what their CEO’s earned, would be the most valuable people in a business. Through them, the company’s services and products are made and sold.

Maybe this is why many CEO’s are changing their mode of operation now. Instead of finding sweet spots on golf courses with other big wheels, they reached out to the most important people in the company, and made sincere attempts to improve working conditions for all. A few of them even made themselves available on television to show themselves performing clumsily the basic skills like flipping hamburgers on a hot grill. And this new way of managing would definitely bring the best out of both the bosses and their employees. And we have all seen on the televsion how their staff reacted and felt when they realized he or she had just worked next to the most powerful person in their work place! - Ayee

*A CBS production

Numbers can be misleading.

Recently, income tax rates for the riches are back in the spot lights again. The suggestion to reduce the country’s riches income tax rate never goes well with the rest 99% of us. But if we look at the absolute dollar figures on who is paying what, we will see a different picture.

The US government now taxes individuals at the rates between 15% and 35%*. It looks like our progressive tax system does what it is designed for: the richer, the higher tax rate. For the ones making $40,000 taxable income last year, at a rate of 15%, each of them will have to pay $6,000 to IRS. And for the others who made more than $379,150, at an effective rate of 29%, everyone in this well-off group owes Uncle Sam a whopping $110,017 each.

Now let us look at how much income tax the country’s ultra riches paid, say, at a rate of 15%, which incidentally is the lowest tax bracket on IRS’s book. With a taxable income of $5 million, the tax bill at 15% would come to $750,000!

A lower tax rate does not mean lower tax in dollars and cents.

Besides, making the riches pay more taxes is not a solution to reduce public debts. The more taxes the governments can collect, the less likely our governments will become smaller from where they are now. - Ayee

*Internal Revenue Services’ 2012 Tax Tables

Love Them but Don’t Smother Them

Last night I learned the untimely death of a 20-year-old rhinoceros at a wildlife reserve in South Africa. Spencer, a long time resident of a lion and rhinos park near Johannesburg, died while the vets were implanting a tracking device and pesticide into the horn of the sedated animal.

Although the implanting procedures give me willies, under certain circumstances, there may be good reasons to tag a wild animal with monitoring devices. But infusing deadly poison into a living thing is some thing that does not sit well with me. A chemical that is poisonous enough to kill bugs can kill other living things too!

I have always thought wild animals in an animal reserve lead a more carefree life. Sheltered animals are better protected from their predators, including poachers, than their peers in the wild. But Spencer’s good-hearted keepers thought this middle-aged bull rhino needed extra protection to prevent him from being poached for his prized tusk. Ironically, instead of being killed by the heartless poachers, Spencer met his premature death at the hands of the good people who were supposed to be there to protect him. - Ayee

Undercover Boss

Last week amidst the Super Bowl frenzy, I discovered a new reality show. Although I had only caught the concluding part of the program, I liked what I saw. It is refreshing to see this real-life situation production does not require judges.

After looking it up in Wikipedia, I learned Undercover Boss has already been in the hearts and minds of millions of television viewers for two years. CBS has aired the show since 2010 with raving success. It was the most popular television program in the year it was premiered. Undercover Boss is also a spin-off from a British show with the same name.

This reality production is about company’s CEO’s go undercover at their own company as an entry-level employee. This week-long covet operation gives company executives opportunities to see if the company is operating on the right track from the grass-root level. At the end of the show when the true identity of the imposter is uncovered, the unsuspected accomplices, their employees, get praised for the unscripted roles they have played. And all of them are also awarded with tangible and some life-changing prizes.

But the good story does not end here. The CEO’s who participated in the snoop are expected to follow through on what they may have detected during the week-long mission and to take proper corrective actions. So their company can become a better employer, that, over the time, translates into brighter prospect for both the workers and their undercover bosses. - Ayee

Silver Lining under the Bankruptcy Cloud

The word “bankruptcy” bears negative connotations. Death knell is near company's business can no longer generate sufficient cash to cover expenses. Bankruptcy filings do sometimes bring ruinous consequences for the insolvent parties.

For individuals, filing for bankruptcy may absolve them from some financial obligations, but the stigma resulting from personal bankruptcy remains with that person for life. Furthermore, employment prospects for the bankrupted are somewhat limited too. Therefore, not many emerge from the legal rigmarole of bankruptcy proceedings a winner.

But why filing for bankruptcy remains a chosen alternative for both individuals and business organizations, many of them are well established companies?

For many unfortunate people, dismal job markets and collapsing housing prices leave them with little option but declaring bankruptcy. Bankruptcy enabled them to walk away from an oversize mortgage and/or exorbitant medical bills.

But there is another ball of wax for corporations who have volunteered to be bankrupted. Chapter 11 of the country’s bankruptcy codes has become a savior to many well-known companies and their hard-working employees. Remember a landmark case between Texaco, Inc., and Pennzoil, Co., in the 80s? After the court favored Pennzoil with a multi-billion-dollar damage award against Texaco, the latter sought protection from the insightful laws to fend off this humongous award.

In other more mundane cases, resulting from certain accounting principles, as times go by, a company’s financial position can be overburdened with its future liabilities in pension and health benefits owing to their many employees.

Under Chapter 11, the company operates its business as usual except no creditors are being repaid while the trustee of the proceedings is sorting out as well as reorganizing the company’s financial obligations. To keep the business going, within the laws, the bankrupted and its trustee may cancel pre-existing business and labor contracts. At the end of the day, many creditors must take a “hair cut” on the money they are owed. Once all stakeholders in the process agree upon the terms and conditions of a reorganization plan, the company can then emerge from the bankruptcy protection with a lighter debt load. So it can carry on its business as usual in a competitive market place but at lesser costs. - Ayee

Who is fleecing who?

Next time when you roam the countryside of a European Union country looking for sheep, make sure you are extra vigilant. Otherwise, Shepherds there may pull some wools over your eyes. And you may mistake some white objects on far away hills as sheep grazing calmly on remote grassland.

Recently I watched an old BBC television production. It tells the stories of many enduring characters' lives in a fictional Irish village, Ballykissangel.

In this particular episode, a young couple was about to be married. But the groom got cold feet after he almost got killed by a falling boulder from the roof of the parish church. Happily, the wedding would be on as planned. Among other alluring plots in this hour-long production, writer(s) for this episode showed us how enterprising and imaginative an otherwise harmless old farmer can be when the matter affects his pocket books.

It is not unlike what other countries do to help out their farmers. Under EU’s agricultural policy, farmers in European Union receive monetary subsidies based on the volume of what their farm had produced. To make up many invisible sheep this crafty Irish farmer had on the government's books, he dotted the green pasture on the hillsides with white wooden sheep he made in his barn. - Ayee

A Win-Win Proposition

Although I would love living in a heritage house, I am not very keen on antiques. If ever I was given a piece of rare artifact, I would definitely turn it over to a public museum so it can be displayed for many others to enjoy it as well. This is why I am applauding the government’s decision to conserve the wondrous beauty of the country’s iconic old dame, the Grand Canyon National Park.

The US government’s recent extension of a moratorium on staking mining claims on the public land off the Park makes everyone a winner.

Now without anyone lifts a single pick, the fragile rock formations in the Park can be preserved at Mother Nature’s pleasure in the next 20 years. The water supplies from the great Colorado River that runs through the canyon will also remain pristine without any deadly pollutants from the nearby mines. While the nature is adding extra touches onto the jaw-dropping and leg-jerking scenery, the grand old lady gets to flaunt her rare endowments to millions of tourists from around the world. I bet people in the State of Arizona, including the keen prospectors and their over-worked donkeys, can live pretty well from the benefits of the three billion plus dollars these awe-stricken tourists left behind each year.

Therefore, I, like many others, am fully supportive of the government’s new law on safeguarding the Park from further encroachments. - Ayee

Kid! He is looking at you.

The other morning on my way to run an errand, I stumbled on something I had never seen before.

Even with proper directions, I managed to get lost on a dead end street in my old neighborhood. Like the old man who lost his horse in a Chinese fable, the wrong turn I made on a secluded street did make me tread a few extra blocks that I did not need. But it also led me to an enigmatic yard ornament.

On that crowded street teeming with parked cars, I saw an unusual carving in a front yard of a vintage house. On the top of a cement pedestal, there is a human-size face carved on a block of earth-tone substance. The simple hairdo this serene face wears resembles a clergy or a Christian monk.

We often find gnomes or pink flamingos in people’s yard. So it is not common to see a carving of a human face in the middle of an overgrown private garden.

Another unusual thing about that gentleman’s face on the stone pedestal is its interactive eyes. We were exchanging glances while I was walking by them. They were looking at me. Their attentive gazes followed me until I stepped onto the sidewalk in the front of their neighbor’s property. These watchful eyes of the carving were not intimating. But they did make me feel somewhat eerie and unsettled.

Unfortunately, the neighborhood was deserted at that time of the day. So I did not get to ask the passers-by if they knew the story why the owners of this house would choose a carving of a gentleman’s face for a yard ornament? - Ayee

Good News

When I saw people lining up at the store front in early hours to buy the gifts of their choices, I wondered if the U.S. economy is really as bad as we are led to believe. The tally on how much the consumers spent this holiday season is not yet known. But even with a near 9% unemployment rate, the US economy does seem to be heading towards the north. Otherwise, where are the hordes of Christmas shoppers coming from? I have also heard DisneyWorld had a busier than expected Christmas.

In addition to unruly shoppers and happy tourists, there are, indeed, other subtle signs of recovery on the dismal horizon.

The other encouraging trend is how American corporations were reinventing themselves over the past few years. Too-big-to-fail has become a cliche. Now instead of merging with or buying out competitors, through reorganization and divestiture, the size of the restructured American corporations has actually shrunk.

In the New Year, Kraft Inc., a processing food giant, will become two separate operating entities. We have all ridden on elevators made by Otis. Pretty soon Otis Elevator Company will have a new manufacturing plant in the States to replace the one it closes in Mexico. Furthermore, there are also other companies spinning off strategically incompatible products and services from their operation. So they can stay focused on their core business.

And all these organizational changes in corporate America create jobs. - Ayee