Amnesty for All!

Being a migrant to the New World myself, I have witnessed the unwarranted harm and uncertainty the US government's cumbersome immigration laws had done to many innocent new comers.  Therefore, it's encouraging to hear that the American government will wipe the slate clean for the millions of the "illegals."  So they can become residents of the country of their choice.  Personally. I think it is a misnomer to label the undocumented individuals "illegals."  Pursuit of happiness is not a crime. Whether it is a constitutional right or not, no individuals should be deprived  of the freedom to choose where he or she wishes to live.  At any rate, the current laws have failed to deport all the immigrants who enter the States illegally.

I thought the movement of globalization in commerce will gradually make all dated immigration laws obsolete.  Indeed, now it is the time that politicians of all stripes and colors would let the marketplace dictate the kind of work force the business needs and work with each others to ensure United States remains a chosen place for many to call home.  -  Ayee

Food for Thought - Curry Powder

Recently, we found the fresh chickens we bought from the markets did not taste as good as they were before.  Their texture was mushy and tasteless.  To make our chicken dish more palatable, we have tried different spices to spruce up our simple fares.  This is why lately we  often included the pungent curry powder in our cooking.

According to Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia Standard 2004 edition, it takes 20 or more spices, herbs and seeds to make curry power.  And turmeric, considered a brain food*, is the main ingredient of this God sent concoction.  Maybe this is the reason why dishes seasoned with the yellowish powder made with the  substance from  the aromatic roots are very appetizing and tasty.  For someone from Southeast Asia, hearing the work "curry" can cause their mouth to watering!  For us, we always felt warmth and well-being after enjoying a bowl of steaming rice with some curry seasoned toppings.  -  Ayee

*See "Food for Thought: - Brain Foods," July 15, 2012

Please keep the wee-ones home.

The other day after my brief encounter with two Chinese students on the street, I could not help but ponder on why Asian parents are still sending their young impressionable kids to study abroad.

It happened that these two 17-year-old ones, not quite five feet tall, are studying at a nearby high school  under an International Student program.  They, new to this neighborhood, were asking passers-by on the street to help them find a place to rent.  Obviously, they were not happy with the family their school had arranged for them.  Like many others, I had nothing better to offer.  But I did think it is better for them to stay put at where they are at this time until they become more familiar with the neighborhood.  But definitely, I do not think their parents were giving them a head-start by sending them miles away from home to study English here.

I hate to think that like many other  professions, new computer APPs may some day make teacher a thing of the past too.  In these days we can learn many foreign languages including English, anywhere.  Today without pens, paper, and dictionaries, we can translate other languages in a split second.  We can even obtain advance degrees on line.  Besides, there are thousands of English teachers in China, Taiwan and Japan at our disposal,  the audio system in our personal computer can also help us  speak   English better.  This is why I do not understand why parents are still sending their precious young ones, the future of the wold, abroad to learn English.

Letting the youngsters study nearby hometowns has many benefits.  In addition to saving the hard-working parents a bundle in tuition fees paid to foreign schools, keeping the kids at home can also spare the concerned parents a bundle of worries when their wee-ones are studying miles away from home.  -  Ayee

Food for Thought with A Grain of Salt

We all know too much salt in our diet can cause our blood pressure to rise and this can lead many very serious health issues.  But interestingly to note that a mixture of this frown-upon condiment with water makes a good and cost-effective month wash.

According to a recent Internet posting, there was one individual who used a strong saline solution to keep him free from periodontal disease*(1). If this painful inflammatory gum disease is left untreated, it can cause heart and other serious diseases such as diabetes in us.  This is why in 2000, the country's top doctor*(2) based on his study on oral health  asked the public to gargle salt water for two to three minutes twice a day  to keep their gum in good health.

This was exactly the unnamed contributor did 12 years ago when his dentist was about to send him to see a gum specialist for some special dental treatments.  For three months, after he had brushed his teeth, he gargled a strong solution made of coarse sea salt and water for two minutes twice each day, and sometimes after meals.  And he adjusted the amount of the salt he added to the water in a 300-500 cc glass jar according to his taste bud's liking.  After all the gargling was done, he rinsed the month with plain water to get rid of salty taste.  -  Ayee

Notes:

1.  It was from a posting titled "Periodontal Disease Easy Way to Prevent (Effectively), circa and author unknown.

2.  Dr. David Satcher, the US Surgeon General

There is no free lunch in life (II)

Believe it or not! It is happening to us simple folks.

This morning when I phoned my bank, after the dial-tone instead of the normal greeting that I am used to, a woman’s voice on the line offered me a $100 gift card from various known retailers. To get this gift, I was asked to put through a $1.95 charge on my credit card. Normally we would hang up telemarketing calls right away, but this time I stayed on the line THINKING OF WHY MY BANK would engage in giving away gift cards. Since I did not want the gift card, I pushed the "#" key as instructed. Now I do not know if by doing so, I have compromised my telephone number and bank account.

However, I did report this creepy incident to both my bank and the telephone company.  Now we know there are some smart people out there who would piggy back their phone number on ours uninvited. - Ayee

"America's Got Talent,", NBC, September 10, 2014

I did not participate in the voting but I did watch the show's semifinal results last night.  I missed this entertaining show last year.  So I made effort to catch the show this season, and  did manage to view this popular talent show including the one that was aired last night.

I am sure many others would agree with me that the acts competing on the show are phenomenally professional.  It supposes to be a show of amateurs.  But what they had offered on the stage at the venerable Radio City in New York City were so entertaining and stunningly unique.  There were also many compelling stories like persistence and hard work behind their million-dollar acts.  I will definitely try to follow the show until it has chosen the winner of its million-dollar prize.  But maybe it was because of my preference in cello music, I found some thing missing in the judges' deliberation when it was their turn to choose the last act for the final competition.  -  Ayee

It's inflationary.

Recently when I renewed my prescription at our neighborhood supermarket, I got a big surprise.

The prescription I refilled a few weeks ago there cost 32% more than a similar one I filled last year.  Although, we and our neighbors were expecting some price increases at our neighborhood stores when we heard that there were some reorganization taking place at our local grocery markets,I certainly did not think the increase in some common medication can rise that much in nine months.

In the spring of this year, one of the two grocery stores in walking distance from our home was bought out by its arch-rival in the neighborhood.  Before the buyout, we had two well stocked and competitively priced markets to shop.  Because of their handy location, everyone in the neighborhood was pleased  for having two supermarkets nearby to help us prepare our meals.  Now after the buyout, we have only one market in the neighborhood.  As expected, it did not take us long to notice that prices on our groceries are creeping up here and there under the new ownership.

We all know that buying a business is a very expensive proposition.  So it is save to say that the high prices at  our neighborhood store are here to stay.   The recent change in our local supermarket  also told me that the drug companies are making too much money on the drugs they made and sold. -  Ayee