Ayn Rand died more than a quarter of a century ago, yet her name appears regularly in discussions of our current economic turmoil. Pundits including Rush Limbaugh and Rick Santelli urge listeners to read her books, and her magnum opus, "Atlas Shrugged," is selling at a faster rate today than at any time during its 51-year history.
There's a reason. In "Atlas," Rand tells the story of the U.S. economy crumbling under the weight of crushing government interventions and regulations. Meanwhile, blaming greed and the free market, Washington responds with more controls that only deepen the crisis. Sound familiar?
The novel's eerily prophetic nature is no coincidence. "If you understand the dominant philosophy of a society," Rand wrote elsewhere in "Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal," "you can predict its course." Economic crises and runaway government power grabs don't just happen by themselves; they are the product of the philosophical ideas prevalent in a society -- particularly its dominant moral ideas.
Why do we accept the budget-busting costs of a welfare state? Because it implements the moral ideal of self-sacrifice to the needy. Why do so few protest the endless regulatory burdens placed on businessmen? Because businessmen are pursuing their self-interest, which we have been taught is dangerous and immoral. Why did the government go on a crusade to promote "affordable housing," which meant forcing banks to make loans to unqualified home buyers? Because we believe people need to be homeowners, whether or not they can afford to pay for houses.
The message is always the same: "Selfishness is evil; sacrifice for the needs of others is good." But Rand said this message is wrong -- selfishness, rather than being evil, is a virtue. By this she did not mean exploiting others à la Bernie Madoff. Selfishness -- that is, concern with one's genuine, long-range interest -- she wrote, required a man to think, to produce, and to prosper by trading with others voluntarily to mutual benefit.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Thursday, March 05, 2009
dirt is good for you
In studies of what is called the hygiene hypothesis, researchers are concluding that organisms like the millions of bacteria, viruses and especially worms that enter the body along with “dirt” spur the development of a healthy immune system. Several continuing studies suggest that worms may help to redirect an immune system that has gone awry and resulted in autoimmune disorders, allergies and asthma.
These studies, along with epidemiological observations, seem to explain why immune system disorders like multiple sclerosis, Type 1 diabetes, inflammatory bowel disease, asthma and allergies have risen significantly in the United States and other developed countries.
“What a child is doing when he puts things in his mouth is allowing his immune response to explore his environment,” Mary Ruebush, a microbiology and immunology instructor, wrote in her new book, “Why Dirt Is Good” (Kaplan). “Not only does this allow for ‘practice’ of immune responses, which will be necessary for protection, but it also plays a critical role in teaching the immature immune response what is best ignored.”
One leading researcher, Dr. Joel V. Weinstock, the director of gastroenterology and hepatology at Tufts Medical Center in Boston, said in an interview that the immune system at birth “is like an unprogrammed computer. It needs instruction.”
He said that public health measures like cleaning up contaminated water and food have saved the lives of countless children, but they “also eliminated exposure to many organisms that are probably good for us.”
These studies, along with epidemiological observations, seem to explain why immune system disorders like multiple sclerosis, Type 1 diabetes, inflammatory bowel disease, asthma and allergies have risen significantly in the United States and other developed countries.
“What a child is doing when he puts things in his mouth is allowing his immune response to explore his environment,” Mary Ruebush, a microbiology and immunology instructor, wrote in her new book, “Why Dirt Is Good” (Kaplan). “Not only does this allow for ‘practice’ of immune responses, which will be necessary for protection, but it also plays a critical role in teaching the immature immune response what is best ignored.”
One leading researcher, Dr. Joel V. Weinstock, the director of gastroenterology and hepatology at Tufts Medical Center in Boston, said in an interview that the immune system at birth “is like an unprogrammed computer. It needs instruction.”
He said that public health measures like cleaning up contaminated water and food have saved the lives of countless children, but they “also eliminated exposure to many organisms that are probably good for us.”
The Jones' clean house
Step 1 in making order out of chaos is often the most painful: getting rid of all the junk. Especially when folks have emotional attachments to most of the stuff.
The Style Network's "Clean House" makes the culling process part of its home makeovers with a garage sale that's a staple of every episode.
The sale at the home of Aina Jones on Saturday drew throngs of the show's fans, many bearing leis, pineapples and other tokens for show host Niecy Nash.
The night prior to the sale, the family had to decide what to give up, with the "Clean House" crew encouraging them to be brutal.
"I know that we don't need four sets of dishes, but the sentimental stuff is going to be the hardest," said Aina.
Parting with her books was so difficult that the cast offered her new living room flooring to sell them. "Clean House" designer Mark Brunetz explained that Aina reads her books over and over as a means to escape her problems. "It's easy to read a book and not have to live in the reality of life," he said.
"They really need to deal with this clutter issue and learn to let things go. They also need to make organizing fun," added Trish Suhr, the show's yard sale diva. "Otherwise, they are raising a 9-year-old clutterbug."
Once they started plowing through the mess, things got a bit easier.
"It was just time-consuming. ... Once we started sorting through stuff, it was easier to let things go. The hardest part was giving up control," Aina said.
Her sons had no problem handing over their junk.
"It was completely simple to put the clutter in a box and send it somewhere else," said Ben. "It took us years to collect all this junk. We brought two full Matson containers when we moved back from the mainland (nine years ago)."
"The process was long, tiring and dusty. We were sorting and moving things out until 3:30 a.m.," explained Thomas.
Yard sale tables were filled with the usual items like books, DVDs, toys and clothing with a few pieces of furniture on the side. Among the more unusual items were a furry spider that Nash sold to a woman who planned to hang it in her bedroom and a "to pee or not to pee ... that is the question" framed poster that Brunetz sold to another woman.
After a couple of days in a hotel, the family returned to their home and were blindfolded as they were led into the house for the big reveal. The entire family was ecstatic with the results of the makeover.
"This was a good experience. ... The rooms were incredible," said Aina.
"The boys' room is the size of a postage stamp. And, they are two adult boys. I needed to figure out how to accommodate both of them sleeping in there with some desks," Brunetz explained. They got a new divided closet organizer with shelving in the center with boxes for personal affects.
"Organization is key. And, the design needs to incorporate multifunctional furniture. Everything needs to serve more than one purpose," Brunetz said.
"I'm glad to have a bed. We had bunk beds, but they were being used like a closet," said Thomas.
The living room was transformed into a sanctuary for Dorothy. Her antique Chinese day bed had become a storage area and was lacking proper padding. Brunetz refurbished most of the old furniture in this room, providing a face lift that brought everything back to life. He also added gold foils on the cinder block wall.
The family room had a Polynesian/Asian vibe. The toys that were once scattered on the floor were given new homes in rattan baskets lined up on shelves.
"I love the family room. It gives us a great space to hang out," Aina said, noting that was her favorite part of the remodel.
The experience has taught Aina the value of ending clutter. "We need to throw things away that deserve to be thrown away," she said.
"Clutter doesn't allow people to live in the present," Brunetz said. "Space allows people to live comfortably in their own skin and environment."
* * *
Clean House, the Style Network’s No. 1 show in its seventh season, has hit the road in search of the messiest home in the country as part of a seven-episode event that started last Wednesday and continues at 7 tonight (May 27) Hawaii time. The Hawaii episode featuring the Jones family from Niu Valley airs June 3.
During their week on Oahu the Clean House team consisting of Nash, interior design guru Mark Brunetz, yard sale diva Trish Suhr and new addition, go-to guy Eugene Long dug their way through cluttered rooms and organized a giant public yard sale with proceeds matched by the show going toward that much-needed home makeover.
Through this experience, the Jones ohana - Aina Jones, her children Janie Jones, Thomas Purkiss and Ben Purkiss, and mother Dorothy Kangas - discover some of the root causes of their clutter and share with the public what most people would never want exposed: a messy house.
***
The Style Network's "Clean House" makes the culling process part of its home makeovers with a garage sale that's a staple of every episode.
The sale at the home of Aina Jones on Saturday drew throngs of the show's fans, many bearing leis, pineapples and other tokens for show host Niecy Nash.
The night prior to the sale, the family had to decide what to give up, with the "Clean House" crew encouraging them to be brutal.
"I know that we don't need four sets of dishes, but the sentimental stuff is going to be the hardest," said Aina.
Parting with her books was so difficult that the cast offered her new living room flooring to sell them. "Clean House" designer Mark Brunetz explained that Aina reads her books over and over as a means to escape her problems. "It's easy to read a book and not have to live in the reality of life," he said.
"They really need to deal with this clutter issue and learn to let things go. They also need to make organizing fun," added Trish Suhr, the show's yard sale diva. "Otherwise, they are raising a 9-year-old clutterbug."
Once they started plowing through the mess, things got a bit easier.
"It was just time-consuming. ... Once we started sorting through stuff, it was easier to let things go. The hardest part was giving up control," Aina said.
Her sons had no problem handing over their junk.
"It was completely simple to put the clutter in a box and send it somewhere else," said Ben. "It took us years to collect all this junk. We brought two full Matson containers when we moved back from the mainland (nine years ago)."
"The process was long, tiring and dusty. We were sorting and moving things out until 3:30 a.m.," explained Thomas.
Yard sale tables were filled with the usual items like books, DVDs, toys and clothing with a few pieces of furniture on the side. Among the more unusual items were a furry spider that Nash sold to a woman who planned to hang it in her bedroom and a "to pee or not to pee ... that is the question" framed poster that Brunetz sold to another woman.
After a couple of days in a hotel, the family returned to their home and were blindfolded as they were led into the house for the big reveal. The entire family was ecstatic with the results of the makeover.
"This was a good experience. ... The rooms were incredible," said Aina.
"The boys' room is the size of a postage stamp. And, they are two adult boys. I needed to figure out how to accommodate both of them sleeping in there with some desks," Brunetz explained. They got a new divided closet organizer with shelving in the center with boxes for personal affects.
"Organization is key. And, the design needs to incorporate multifunctional furniture. Everything needs to serve more than one purpose," Brunetz said.
"I'm glad to have a bed. We had bunk beds, but they were being used like a closet," said Thomas.
The living room was transformed into a sanctuary for Dorothy. Her antique Chinese day bed had become a storage area and was lacking proper padding. Brunetz refurbished most of the old furniture in this room, providing a face lift that brought everything back to life. He also added gold foils on the cinder block wall.
The family room had a Polynesian/Asian vibe. The toys that were once scattered on the floor were given new homes in rattan baskets lined up on shelves.
"I love the family room. It gives us a great space to hang out," Aina said, noting that was her favorite part of the remodel.
The experience has taught Aina the value of ending clutter. "We need to throw things away that deserve to be thrown away," she said.
"Clutter doesn't allow people to live in the present," Brunetz said. "Space allows people to live comfortably in their own skin and environment."
* * *
Clean House, the Style Network’s No. 1 show in its seventh season, has hit the road in search of the messiest home in the country as part of a seven-episode event that started last Wednesday and continues at 7 tonight (May 27) Hawaii time. The Hawaii episode featuring the Jones family from Niu Valley airs June 3.
During their week on Oahu the Clean House team consisting of Nash, interior design guru Mark Brunetz, yard sale diva Trish Suhr and new addition, go-to guy Eugene Long dug their way through cluttered rooms and organized a giant public yard sale with proceeds matched by the show going toward that much-needed home makeover.
Through this experience, the Jones ohana - Aina Jones, her children Janie Jones, Thomas Purkiss and Ben Purkiss, and mother Dorothy Kangas - discover some of the root causes of their clutter and share with the public what most people would never want exposed: a messy house.
***
After moving to Hawaii from
California 14 years ago, Gracie and her husband found there were far
more fun things to do than unpack.
"We planned to go through a box a
day, then decided on a box a week or month. We found hula and surfing
and never cared enough to unpack the boxes. If we needed a can
opener, we'd just go buy one," said the North Shore resident, who did
not want to be identified to protect her privacy.
Then when her husband died in February, it became difficult to let go of anything that reminded her of him.
While not quite a candidate for the reality show "Hoarders" yet,
Gracie's plea for help won the "Honolulu's Messiest Room" contest
sponsored by Aloha Organizers, which came to her house for a room
makeover last week.
Sunday, March 01, 2009
Paul Harvey
Paul Harvey, a familiar radio voice for six decades who used long pauses to punctuate his delivery of news and observations, died yesterday in Phoenix. He was 90.
Harvey's death was announced in a statement by ABC Radio Networks where his "News and Comment" was a fixture aired from coast to coast since 1951. He had impressed network executives with high ratings in Chicago, where he'd been a newscaster at ABC affiliate WENR-AM since 1944.
Harvey died in a Phoenix area hospital with his family by his side, said Louis Adams, a spokesman for ABC Radio Networks. The broadcaster lived in Chicago during the summer and moved his production to Arizona in the winter months.
"My father and mother created from thin air what one day became radio and television news," son Paul Harvey Jr. said in a statement on his father's Web site. "So in the past year, an industry has lost its godparents and today millions have lost a friend."
Harvey's wife, Lynne, who produced his shows, died in May.
Known for his resonant voice and trademark delivery of "The Rest of the Story," Harvey had been heard nationally since 1951, when he began his "News and Comment" for ABC Radio Networks.
He became a heartland icon, delivering news and commentary with a distinctive Midwestern flavor. "Stand by for news!" he told his listeners. He was credited with inventing or popularizing terms such as "skyjacker," "Reaganomics" and "guesstimate."
Harvey's death was announced in a statement by ABC Radio Networks where his "News and Comment" was a fixture aired from coast to coast since 1951. He had impressed network executives with high ratings in Chicago, where he'd been a newscaster at ABC affiliate WENR-AM since 1944.
Harvey died in a Phoenix area hospital with his family by his side, said Louis Adams, a spokesman for ABC Radio Networks. The broadcaster lived in Chicago during the summer and moved his production to Arizona in the winter months.
"My father and mother created from thin air what one day became radio and television news," son Paul Harvey Jr. said in a statement on his father's Web site. "So in the past year, an industry has lost its godparents and today millions have lost a friend."
Harvey's wife, Lynne, who produced his shows, died in May.
Known for his resonant voice and trademark delivery of "The Rest of the Story," Harvey had been heard nationally since 1951, when he began his "News and Comment" for ABC Radio Networks.
He became a heartland icon, delivering news and commentary with a distinctive Midwestern flavor. "Stand by for news!" he told his listeners. He was credited with inventing or popularizing terms such as "skyjacker," "Reaganomics" and "guesstimate."
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
buying happiness
Countless studies have shown that most humans fail to realize what makes them happy. Typically, we spend on short-term glitz instead of long-term satisfaction. And that often leads to misery -- not to mention loads of debt.
Right now, we all need to make a giant U-turn. When money's tight, it's vital to spend in a way that yields the biggest payoff, emotionally as well as financially. Buying more stuff just won't do it.
What follows are seven ways you can use your wallet to turn around your life and your finances. (That's a big promise, but I wouldn't say it if I hadn't experienced it myself.)
1. Relationships
Friends, Romans, countrymen, kids and spousal units: Studies indicate we're happiest when we feel connected to others. People with strong relationships tend to be happier and healthier, and live longer on average, according to psychologist Martin Seligman and many other researchers.
How can you invest more in these bonds of family and friendship? Splurge on a plane ticket to see your best friend. Get your buddies together and buy season tickets to your favorite team -- or the opera. Treat a friend to dinner.
After all, what would really make your month -- another pair of shoes from Piperlime or spending time with someone you love?
2. Time
Would you trade some of the money you make to have more time? A survey by Fortune magazine indicated most people would. Time is one asset that always seems to be in short supply; a free hour or two (or an unexpected day off) can feel like a windfall.
To buy yourself some time:
As part of a raise or promotion, ask for additional time off.
Explore flex-time options. A surprising number of companies support flexible work programs.
Consider paying others to do the chores you loathe because they eat up your time, from hiring a teen to do yardwork to paying a pro to do your taxes, paint the kitchen or organize the garage.
For a little bit of money, you can regain a chunk of your life.
3. Health
Some good health can be chalked up to genetics, but a lot of the rest is lifestyle. And buying good health is a lot like investing in the stock market: Steady investments at regular intervals are the best way to see big gains.
A few suggestions: Pay a bit more to join the gym that's closer to where you work, so you'll actually use it. Shell out for biweekly acupuncture visits. Buy the pricier healthful meal instead the Happy Meal. And take your vitamins.
4. Learning
Humans are born to grow. Research by psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (pronounced "CHIK-sent-mee-high"), who created the concept of "flow" -- the state of wholly contented absorption in a task -- suggests we are often happiest when engaged in activities that challenge us and hold our focus.
You've been there: when you played in that garage band, when you went scuba diving on vacation, when you determinedly embarked on "War and Peace" and then couldn't put it down. Put your money there.
Buy the damn compact disc set so you can brush up on your Mandarin. Join the local archaeology club and do local digs. Try rock climbing. Or put away your air guitar and restart that garage band. You don't need to spend much to notice the uptick in sheer joie de vivre.
5. Debt relief
Owing money downgrades your quality of life, creating so much stress that it may even make you sick or depressed, according to some studies.
Stop viewing your credit card bills as bad news; instead, treat them like updates on an underperforming asset class. By doubling or tripling your monthly payments, cutting back spending and doing everything in your power to bring your debts down to zero, you won't just be paying a bill -- you'll be increasing your own net worth.
6. Giveaways
A surprise benefit of giving to others, or to a cause you believe in, is how good it makes you feel.
Studies show that altruism not only tickles the feel-good centers in the brain, but it also creates a sense of social bonding and mutual support that enhances your personal well-being.
You don't have to give millions to get that payoff. The most important thing isn't whether you spend money or volunteer time or contribute goods, but that whatever you share -- and however you share it -- means a lot to you.
Read to kids after school; bring canned food to a shelter; contact Kiva and help a South African woman build her business. There are countless ways to give. Just pick one that makes you happy.
7. Security
In an economic crisis like this one, it's tempting to stop putting money aside for the long term, but taking the reins of your future will make you feel more in control now and will beef up that cushion you might need someday.
A first step is to sign up for your company retirement plan (many Americans don't) or open an individual retirement account. At some companies, such as Fidelity, you can open an account with very little money as long as you set up automatic contributions.
Retirement is a huge topic, you can read more here at MSN Money. Making small, steady investments now can create double happiness: peace of mind now and greater wealth down the road.
Here's the real magic: When you start putting more money toward life (and less toward stuff), that shift quickly turns your financial picture from upside down to right side up. You spend less, but get more -- and in feeling more satisfied, reduce your desire to spend.
The net effect is more money saved, less debt and a sense of financial control and well-being -- oh, and more happiness. Now that's what I call getting your money's worth.
Right now, we all need to make a giant U-turn. When money's tight, it's vital to spend in a way that yields the biggest payoff, emotionally as well as financially. Buying more stuff just won't do it.
What follows are seven ways you can use your wallet to turn around your life and your finances. (That's a big promise, but I wouldn't say it if I hadn't experienced it myself.)
1. Relationships
Friends, Romans, countrymen, kids and spousal units: Studies indicate we're happiest when we feel connected to others. People with strong relationships tend to be happier and healthier, and live longer on average, according to psychologist Martin Seligman and many other researchers.
How can you invest more in these bonds of family and friendship? Splurge on a plane ticket to see your best friend. Get your buddies together and buy season tickets to your favorite team -- or the opera. Treat a friend to dinner.
After all, what would really make your month -- another pair of shoes from Piperlime or spending time with someone you love?
2. Time
Would you trade some of the money you make to have more time? A survey by Fortune magazine indicated most people would. Time is one asset that always seems to be in short supply; a free hour or two (or an unexpected day off) can feel like a windfall.
To buy yourself some time:
As part of a raise or promotion, ask for additional time off.
Explore flex-time options. A surprising number of companies support flexible work programs.
Consider paying others to do the chores you loathe because they eat up your time, from hiring a teen to do yardwork to paying a pro to do your taxes, paint the kitchen or organize the garage.
For a little bit of money, you can regain a chunk of your life.
3. Health
Some good health can be chalked up to genetics, but a lot of the rest is lifestyle. And buying good health is a lot like investing in the stock market: Steady investments at regular intervals are the best way to see big gains.
A few suggestions: Pay a bit more to join the gym that's closer to where you work, so you'll actually use it. Shell out for biweekly acupuncture visits. Buy the pricier healthful meal instead the Happy Meal. And take your vitamins.
4. Learning
Humans are born to grow. Research by psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (pronounced "CHIK-sent-mee-high"), who created the concept of "flow" -- the state of wholly contented absorption in a task -- suggests we are often happiest when engaged in activities that challenge us and hold our focus.
You've been there: when you played in that garage band, when you went scuba diving on vacation, when you determinedly embarked on "War and Peace" and then couldn't put it down. Put your money there.
Buy the damn compact disc set so you can brush up on your Mandarin. Join the local archaeology club and do local digs. Try rock climbing. Or put away your air guitar and restart that garage band. You don't need to spend much to notice the uptick in sheer joie de vivre.
5. Debt relief
Owing money downgrades your quality of life, creating so much stress that it may even make you sick or depressed, according to some studies.
Stop viewing your credit card bills as bad news; instead, treat them like updates on an underperforming asset class. By doubling or tripling your monthly payments, cutting back spending and doing everything in your power to bring your debts down to zero, you won't just be paying a bill -- you'll be increasing your own net worth.
6. Giveaways
A surprise benefit of giving to others, or to a cause you believe in, is how good it makes you feel.
Studies show that altruism not only tickles the feel-good centers in the brain, but it also creates a sense of social bonding and mutual support that enhances your personal well-being.
You don't have to give millions to get that payoff. The most important thing isn't whether you spend money or volunteer time or contribute goods, but that whatever you share -- and however you share it -- means a lot to you.
Read to kids after school; bring canned food to a shelter; contact Kiva and help a South African woman build her business. There are countless ways to give. Just pick one that makes you happy.
7. Security
In an economic crisis like this one, it's tempting to stop putting money aside for the long term, but taking the reins of your future will make you feel more in control now and will beef up that cushion you might need someday.
A first step is to sign up for your company retirement plan (many Americans don't) or open an individual retirement account. At some companies, such as Fidelity, you can open an account with very little money as long as you set up automatic contributions.
Retirement is a huge topic, you can read more here at MSN Money. Making small, steady investments now can create double happiness: peace of mind now and greater wealth down the road.
Here's the real magic: When you start putting more money toward life (and less toward stuff), that shift quickly turns your financial picture from upside down to right side up. You spend less, but get more -- and in feeling more satisfied, reduce your desire to spend.
The net effect is more money saved, less debt and a sense of financial control and well-being -- oh, and more happiness. Now that's what I call getting your money's worth.
Friday, February 13, 2009
Corky Trinidad
The Honolulu Star-Bulletin’s “Corky” Trinidad, whose editorial cartoons for 40 years recorded life and lampooned politics in Hawaii and the world, died at 2 a.m. today of complications from pancreatic cancer. He was 69.
In a 2001 interview, Trinidad predicted he’d die at his drawing table, spilling ink one last time.
“Corky was a Star-Bulletin treasure,” said Frank Bridgewater, editor. “Many people, everywhere, started their day by checking out Corky. Even people without Hawaii connections who didn’t understand some of his cartoons looked forward to them. When Corky went on leave, readers immediately began calling and e-mailing me from everywhere wanting to know, ‘Where’s Corky?’”
* * *
Trinidad funeral attracts hundreds
In a 2001 interview, Trinidad predicted he’d die at his drawing table, spilling ink one last time.
“Corky was a Star-Bulletin treasure,” said Frank Bridgewater, editor. “Many people, everywhere, started their day by checking out Corky. Even people without Hawaii connections who didn’t understand some of his cartoons looked forward to them. When Corky went on leave, readers immediately began calling and e-mailing me from everywhere wanting to know, ‘Where’s Corky?’”
* * *
Trinidad funeral attracts hundreds
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
The Peacemakers Club
A fight has broken out on upper campus. There is chaos, as some students are attracted to the big event and others shuffle along the corridor as if it were just another day.
“We had six policemen here yesterday,” Matayoshi says. “There were disruptions all day. It’s starting up again.”
Anxious, authoritative voices - supposedly that of other teachers or adult supervisors - boom through the crowd. They mean business.
Students rush past us and out the gates toward the fight outside.
Suddenly, the gates close and Matayoshi turns the lock. He sternly instructs students inside the gate to proceed to their fourth-period class.
Those outside the gates are not permitted back in the classroom. They are locked out.
That is how decorum is maintained. Some students proceed obediently to the next class. Several others have already found safe haven in a room known as the Peacemakers Club.
The reconfigured classroom space is the brainchild of Matayoshi. It is filled with video games, recreational equipment and a living room setting where kids can relax during recess and find peace.
It’s a different world inside. The bullies might call this the losers’ den. But members of the Peacemakers Club consider it a hall of honor for those who walk away from senseless conflict and violence. They have been told by people like Matayoshi that irresponsible behavior is a blight on the Nanakuli community, and if you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem.
“The club will not stop the fighting. There will always be fights on any campus. My hope is that it will curb the fighting and make students aware that their actions affect the way the rest of the island views and treats their community.”
Disruptions of this sort make Nanakuli one of the most challenging teaching and learning environments on Oahu. It makes teaching a day-by-day, moment-to-moment scenario. One moment you’re breaking up ignorance, the next moment you’re breaking up fights.
But Matayoshi knew exactly what he was getting into when he asked for the Nanakuli assignment from the Teach for America program. TFA is a national teacher corps of recent college graduates who commit to two years to teach and effect change in under-resourced urban and rural public schools.
The 24-year-old Punahou and Claremont McKenna College graduate says, “I wanted to be sent to the worst school possible. I wanted a local school with the lowest test scores, poorest parent participation and the most challenging classroom situation.”
“I wish people could see the potential my students have,” he says. “When I mention that I work in Nanakuli, the looks I get are ones of sympathy, even dread. It is a stigma that I know my students will have to live with the rest of their lives, and that makes me sad and angry.
“I have never felt a stronger sense of community than I have at Nanakuli. My students are genuinely curious about science. Of course, there are difficult days and challenges, but the potential for success is there.”
He concludes, quoting Gandhi: “We must be the change we wish to see.”
“We had six policemen here yesterday,” Matayoshi says. “There were disruptions all day. It’s starting up again.”
Anxious, authoritative voices - supposedly that of other teachers or adult supervisors - boom through the crowd. They mean business.
Students rush past us and out the gates toward the fight outside.
Suddenly, the gates close and Matayoshi turns the lock. He sternly instructs students inside the gate to proceed to their fourth-period class.
Those outside the gates are not permitted back in the classroom. They are locked out.
That is how decorum is maintained. Some students proceed obediently to the next class. Several others have already found safe haven in a room known as the Peacemakers Club.
The reconfigured classroom space is the brainchild of Matayoshi. It is filled with video games, recreational equipment and a living room setting where kids can relax during recess and find peace.
It’s a different world inside. The bullies might call this the losers’ den. But members of the Peacemakers Club consider it a hall of honor for those who walk away from senseless conflict and violence. They have been told by people like Matayoshi that irresponsible behavior is a blight on the Nanakuli community, and if you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem.
“The club will not stop the fighting. There will always be fights on any campus. My hope is that it will curb the fighting and make students aware that their actions affect the way the rest of the island views and treats their community.”
Disruptions of this sort make Nanakuli one of the most challenging teaching and learning environments on Oahu. It makes teaching a day-by-day, moment-to-moment scenario. One moment you’re breaking up ignorance, the next moment you’re breaking up fights.
But Matayoshi knew exactly what he was getting into when he asked for the Nanakuli assignment from the Teach for America program. TFA is a national teacher corps of recent college graduates who commit to two years to teach and effect change in under-resourced urban and rural public schools.
The 24-year-old Punahou and Claremont McKenna College graduate says, “I wanted to be sent to the worst school possible. I wanted a local school with the lowest test scores, poorest parent participation and the most challenging classroom situation.”
“I wish people could see the potential my students have,” he says. “When I mention that I work in Nanakuli, the looks I get are ones of sympathy, even dread. It is a stigma that I know my students will have to live with the rest of their lives, and that makes me sad and angry.
“I have never felt a stronger sense of community than I have at Nanakuli. My students are genuinely curious about science. Of course, there are difficult days and challenges, but the potential for success is there.”
He concludes, quoting Gandhi: “We must be the change we wish to see.”
Sunday, February 08, 2009
first annual letter from the Gates Foundation
This is the first annual letter I plan to write about my work at the Gates Foundation. In this letter I want to share in a frank way what our goals are and where progress is being made and where it is not. Soon after Warren Buffett made his incredible gift, which doubled the resources of the foundation, he encouraged me to follow his lead by writing an annual letter. I won’t be quoting Mae West or trying to match his humor, but I will try to be equally candid.
... I love the work at the foundation. Although there are many differences, it also has the three magical elements. First there are opportunities for big breakthroughs—from discovering new vaccines that can save millions of lives to developing new seeds that will let a farming family have better productivity, improve their children’s nutrition, and sell some of the extra output. Second, I feel like my experience in building teams of smart people with different skill sets focused on tough long-term problems can be a real contribution. The common sense of the business world, with its urgency and focus, has strong application in the philanthropic world. I am sure I will make mistakes in over-applying some elements from my previous experience and will need to adjust. For instance, the countries where Microsoft does business are far more stable and have a lot more infrastructure than most of the places where the foundation does its work, so I’ll need to better appreciate how difficult it will be to execute our strategies. However, I am equally confident that our maniacal focus on drawing in the best talent and measuring results will make a difference. Finally, I find the intelligence and dedication of the people involved in these issues to be just as impressive as what I have seen before. Whether they are scientists at a university or people who have worked in the field in Africa most of their lives, they have critical knowledge and want to help make the breakthroughs. The opportunity to gather smart, creative people into teams and give them resources and guidance as they tackle the challenges is very fulfilling.
... Over the past 50 years childhood deaths have dropped dramatically. Take a look at Chart 1, which is one of my favorites. (I hope you didn’t think you were going to get through this letter without some figures being thrown at you.) What you see is that in 1960, when there were nearly 110 million children born, almost 20 million children under 5 died. In 2005, when more than 135 million children were born, fewer than 10 million children under 5 died. I think this is one of the most amazing statistics ever. The number of children born went up, while the number who died was cut in half. Two things caused this huge reduction in the death rate. First, incomes went up, and with that increase, nutrition, medical care, and living conditions improved. The second factor is that even where incomes did not go up, the availability of life-saving vaccines reduced the number of deaths. For example, measles accounted for 4 million children’s deaths in 1990, but fewer than 250,000 in 2006.
Despite this progress, 10 million children dying is still 10 million too many. Each death is a tragedy. In the United States we don’t think much about young people dying because it is so rare. It would be a huge breakthrough to cut that 10 million in half again, which I believe can be done in the next 20 years. Chart 2 shows a breakdown of what kills children under 5. As you can see, there are a few diseases, like diarrhea, malaria, and pneumonia, that cause over half of the deaths. The key to eliminating these conditions is the invention of a handful of new vaccines and getting them into widespread usage.
[via iluvbabyb, 1/26/09]
... I love the work at the foundation. Although there are many differences, it also has the three magical elements. First there are opportunities for big breakthroughs—from discovering new vaccines that can save millions of lives to developing new seeds that will let a farming family have better productivity, improve their children’s nutrition, and sell some of the extra output. Second, I feel like my experience in building teams of smart people with different skill sets focused on tough long-term problems can be a real contribution. The common sense of the business world, with its urgency and focus, has strong application in the philanthropic world. I am sure I will make mistakes in over-applying some elements from my previous experience and will need to adjust. For instance, the countries where Microsoft does business are far more stable and have a lot more infrastructure than most of the places where the foundation does its work, so I’ll need to better appreciate how difficult it will be to execute our strategies. However, I am equally confident that our maniacal focus on drawing in the best talent and measuring results will make a difference. Finally, I find the intelligence and dedication of the people involved in these issues to be just as impressive as what I have seen before. Whether they are scientists at a university or people who have worked in the field in Africa most of their lives, they have critical knowledge and want to help make the breakthroughs. The opportunity to gather smart, creative people into teams and give them resources and guidance as they tackle the challenges is very fulfilling.
... Over the past 50 years childhood deaths have dropped dramatically. Take a look at Chart 1, which is one of my favorites. (I hope you didn’t think you were going to get through this letter without some figures being thrown at you.) What you see is that in 1960, when there were nearly 110 million children born, almost 20 million children under 5 died. In 2005, when more than 135 million children were born, fewer than 10 million children under 5 died. I think this is one of the most amazing statistics ever. The number of children born went up, while the number who died was cut in half. Two things caused this huge reduction in the death rate. First, incomes went up, and with that increase, nutrition, medical care, and living conditions improved. The second factor is that even where incomes did not go up, the availability of life-saving vaccines reduced the number of deaths. For example, measles accounted for 4 million children’s deaths in 1990, but fewer than 250,000 in 2006.
Despite this progress, 10 million children dying is still 10 million too many. Each death is a tragedy. In the United States we don’t think much about young people dying because it is so rare. It would be a huge breakthrough to cut that 10 million in half again, which I believe can be done in the next 20 years. Chart 2 shows a breakdown of what kills children under 5. As you can see, there are a few diseases, like diarrhea, malaria, and pneumonia, that cause over half of the deaths. The key to eliminating these conditions is the invention of a handful of new vaccines and getting them into widespread usage.
[via iluvbabyb, 1/26/09]
Friday, February 06, 2009
Cholesterol Lowering Foods
Dear Savvy Senior
Are there certain kinds of foods a person can eat to help lower their cholesterol?
- Cholesterol Concerned
Dear Concerned
What you eat can actually play a huge role in lowering your cholesterol, and for many, it may even eliminate the need for cholesterol-lowering medication.
Know Your Numbers
As you may already know, your cholesterol level is the amount of fat in your blood. If it's too high, you're at a greater risk of having a heart attack or stroke. Ideally, you want your total cholesterol reading (that includes your LDL and HDL cholesterol) to be below 200, and your "bad" LDL cholesterol below 129 - less if you're at risk for heart disease. If your total level hits between 200 and 239, or your LDL reaches 130 - 159 you're considered borderline high. And if your total is above 240, or your LDL is over 160 you have high cholesterol.
On the other hand, a higher number is better when it comes to the "good" HDL cholesterol. Most men range between 40 and 50 HDL, and women range between 50 and 60. Anything below 40 (for men) and 50 (for women) is too low, and anything above 50 (for men) and 60 (for women) is great, because it provides extra protection against heart disease.
Cholesterol-Lowering Foods
Lots of research over the past few years has shown that certain foods can help lower your LDL cholesterol and/or boost your HDL, including:
Oatmeal and oat bran: Loaded with soluble fiber, oatmeal or oat bran is a great way to start the day and shave five percent off your LDL. Five to 10 grams per day are recommended. Other good sources for soluble fiber are apples, pears, prunes, citrus fruits, kidney and lima beans, barley, psyllium, carrots, broccoli and brussels sprouts.
Nuts: Studies have also shown that a daily dose of walnuts and almonds can lower your LDL by 10 percent, and raise your HDL by as much as 20 percent. Peanuts, hazelnuts, pecans, some pine nuts, and pistachios have also been shown to lower cholesterol. But be careful. Nuts are high in calories, so a handful (no more than 2 ounces) will do. The best way to add nuts to your diet is to substitute them for foods that are high in saturated fats like cheese and meat. That way you're gaining the benefits of nuts without adding more calories.
Sterols and stanols: These are substances found in plants that help prevent cholesterol from being absorbed into your bloodstream. A recommended dose of two grams per day can help knock 10 percent off your bad cholesterol level. The best way to get these substances is to consume store-bought foods that are fortified with sterols or stanols including certain orange juices, yogurts, breads, cereals, granola bars, cooking oils, salad dressings, margarine spreads and more. Check the labels to find products that contain sterols or stanols and watch out for high calories.
Fish: Rich with omega-3 fatty acids, eating fatty fish (mackerel, lake trout, herring, sardines, salmon and albacore tuna) a few times a week can help boost your good HDL cholesterol by as much as 10 percent, not to mention lower your triglycerides and blood pressure, and reduce inflammation. If you don't like fish, other food sources that provide omega-3s are walnuts, soybeans, flaxseed and canola oil, or take a fish oil supplement.
Olive oil: Contains a potent mix of antioxidants that can lower your LDL without affecting your HDL. A good way to work olive oil into your diet is to substitute it with butter or other cooking oils, or mix it with vinegar as a salad dressing. About two tablespoons a day are recommended.
Other Tips
Additional lifestyle tips that can help lower LDL and raise HDL include: reducing the saturated fats (fatty meats, butter and whole dairy products) and trans fats (found in store-bought cookies, cakes, crackers and many fried foods like french fries) you eat; lose excess weight (even 5 to 10 pounds can make a difference); exercise regularly (at least 30 minutes, five days per week); quit smoking; and drink some alcohol (no more than one drink per day for women and two for men).
Are there certain kinds of foods a person can eat to help lower their cholesterol?
- Cholesterol Concerned
Dear Concerned
What you eat can actually play a huge role in lowering your cholesterol, and for many, it may even eliminate the need for cholesterol-lowering medication.
Know Your Numbers
As you may already know, your cholesterol level is the amount of fat in your blood. If it's too high, you're at a greater risk of having a heart attack or stroke. Ideally, you want your total cholesterol reading (that includes your LDL and HDL cholesterol) to be below 200, and your "bad" LDL cholesterol below 129 - less if you're at risk for heart disease. If your total level hits between 200 and 239, or your LDL reaches 130 - 159 you're considered borderline high. And if your total is above 240, or your LDL is over 160 you have high cholesterol.
On the other hand, a higher number is better when it comes to the "good" HDL cholesterol. Most men range between 40 and 50 HDL, and women range between 50 and 60. Anything below 40 (for men) and 50 (for women) is too low, and anything above 50 (for men) and 60 (for women) is great, because it provides extra protection against heart disease.
Cholesterol-Lowering Foods
Lots of research over the past few years has shown that certain foods can help lower your LDL cholesterol and/or boost your HDL, including:
Oatmeal and oat bran: Loaded with soluble fiber, oatmeal or oat bran is a great way to start the day and shave five percent off your LDL. Five to 10 grams per day are recommended. Other good sources for soluble fiber are apples, pears, prunes, citrus fruits, kidney and lima beans, barley, psyllium, carrots, broccoli and brussels sprouts.
Nuts: Studies have also shown that a daily dose of walnuts and almonds can lower your LDL by 10 percent, and raise your HDL by as much as 20 percent. Peanuts, hazelnuts, pecans, some pine nuts, and pistachios have also been shown to lower cholesterol. But be careful. Nuts are high in calories, so a handful (no more than 2 ounces) will do. The best way to add nuts to your diet is to substitute them for foods that are high in saturated fats like cheese and meat. That way you're gaining the benefits of nuts without adding more calories.
Sterols and stanols: These are substances found in plants that help prevent cholesterol from being absorbed into your bloodstream. A recommended dose of two grams per day can help knock 10 percent off your bad cholesterol level. The best way to get these substances is to consume store-bought foods that are fortified with sterols or stanols including certain orange juices, yogurts, breads, cereals, granola bars, cooking oils, salad dressings, margarine spreads and more. Check the labels to find products that contain sterols or stanols and watch out for high calories.
Fish: Rich with omega-3 fatty acids, eating fatty fish (mackerel, lake trout, herring, sardines, salmon and albacore tuna) a few times a week can help boost your good HDL cholesterol by as much as 10 percent, not to mention lower your triglycerides and blood pressure, and reduce inflammation. If you don't like fish, other food sources that provide omega-3s are walnuts, soybeans, flaxseed and canola oil, or take a fish oil supplement.
Olive oil: Contains a potent mix of antioxidants that can lower your LDL without affecting your HDL. A good way to work olive oil into your diet is to substitute it with butter or other cooking oils, or mix it with vinegar as a salad dressing. About two tablespoons a day are recommended.
Other Tips
Additional lifestyle tips that can help lower LDL and raise HDL include: reducing the saturated fats (fatty meats, butter and whole dairy products) and trans fats (found in store-bought cookies, cakes, crackers and many fried foods like french fries) you eat; lose excess weight (even 5 to 10 pounds can make a difference); exercise regularly (at least 30 minutes, five days per week); quit smoking; and drink some alcohol (no more than one drink per day for women and two for men).
Zoroastrianism
On the Central Asian steppes between the years 1000 B.C. and A.D. 600, there flourished a faith ascribed to the teachings of Zarathustra, or Zoroaster as the Greeks called him. For 1,000 years it was the court religion of three Persian empires: the Achaemenians, the Parthinians and the Sassanians. The followers of this faith stretched from Greece in the west to the Hindukush in the east, across Central Asia, and were numbered in the millions.
Zarathustra preached the monotheistic religion of the One Supreme God, Ahura Mazda, and it was declared the state religion by Cyrus the Great in 558 B.C.
Zarathustra's message was positive, life-affirming, based on both faith and reason. Its principles were simple, namely of Humata, Hukta and Huverishta, which means good thought, good word and good deed. It was not a prescriptive ethic based on fear or obedience, but rather on love and personal responsibility.
A Zoroastrian is taught to lead an industrious, honest and charitable life, and there is no place for asceticism. It is based on the loftiest ideals of Asha, the divine law of truth, and Vohu Mana, or the good mind. Zarathustra declared that every person must think for oneself and that each has the freedom to choose between good and evil.
The faith is spread to achieve a harmonious, morally perfect social order. It promotes respect for the environment and teaches that there is mutually beneficial existence of the sun, fire, earth and water.
Zoroastrianism has been a peace-loving religion that resisted the onslaught of Alexander the Great and his destruction of the capital of the Persian Empire, Persepolis. Its philosophy has influenced many cultures and faiths, including Judaism and Christianity. It is of interest to note that the Magi who heralded the Infant Christ were Zoroastrians, and to this day, frankincense and myrrh are offered at the altars of their temples.
In the year A.D. 652, shiploads of followers of this religion fled Persia under the Muslim invasion and sought refuge on the shores of India. Despite having lived in India for 12 centuries, the Parsees, as they are known, have kept their religious distinctiveness. They contributed to the industrialization of India, and their influence is felt even today in the economic development of the country. Their philanthropy resulted in the establishment of schools, colleges and hospitals in India.
Now they have spread to North America and are integrated with all communities there. With the persecution by Ayatollah Khomeini in the late 1970s and 1980s, Zarthushtis fled from Iran to North America. Now they, jointly with the Parsees from India, preserve their belief without proselytizing.
The most important doctrine of this faith is the belief in one Supreme God with truth and right action to spread love for all human beings without discrimination. Like other doctrines, they believe that there is only one presence and one power in the universe and in our lives, God the Good Omnipresent.
Zarathustra preached the monotheistic religion of the One Supreme God, Ahura Mazda, and it was declared the state religion by Cyrus the Great in 558 B.C.
Zarathustra's message was positive, life-affirming, based on both faith and reason. Its principles were simple, namely of Humata, Hukta and Huverishta, which means good thought, good word and good deed. It was not a prescriptive ethic based on fear or obedience, but rather on love and personal responsibility.
A Zoroastrian is taught to lead an industrious, honest and charitable life, and there is no place for asceticism. It is based on the loftiest ideals of Asha, the divine law of truth, and Vohu Mana, or the good mind. Zarathustra declared that every person must think for oneself and that each has the freedom to choose between good and evil.
The faith is spread to achieve a harmonious, morally perfect social order. It promotes respect for the environment and teaches that there is mutually beneficial existence of the sun, fire, earth and water.
Zoroastrianism has been a peace-loving religion that resisted the onslaught of Alexander the Great and his destruction of the capital of the Persian Empire, Persepolis. Its philosophy has influenced many cultures and faiths, including Judaism and Christianity. It is of interest to note that the Magi who heralded the Infant Christ were Zoroastrians, and to this day, frankincense and myrrh are offered at the altars of their temples.
In the year A.D. 652, shiploads of followers of this religion fled Persia under the Muslim invasion and sought refuge on the shores of India. Despite having lived in India for 12 centuries, the Parsees, as they are known, have kept their religious distinctiveness. They contributed to the industrialization of India, and their influence is felt even today in the economic development of the country. Their philanthropy resulted in the establishment of schools, colleges and hospitals in India.
Now they have spread to North America and are integrated with all communities there. With the persecution by Ayatollah Khomeini in the late 1970s and 1980s, Zarthushtis fled from Iran to North America. Now they, jointly with the Parsees from India, preserve their belief without proselytizing.
The most important doctrine of this faith is the belief in one Supreme God with truth and right action to spread love for all human beings without discrimination. Like other doctrines, they believe that there is only one presence and one power in the universe and in our lives, God the Good Omnipresent.
walking is good for the brain
Earlier this year, researchers at Stanford University reported the results of a 21-year study that tracked more than 500 runners who were in their 50s or 60s, and are now in their 70s and 80s.
The joggers, who put in an average of 4 hours a week on the trail, were matched for comparison with an otherwise similar group of people who did not run.
Nineteen years into the study, 34 percent of the non-runners had died, versus 15 percent of the runners.
Of course, time still caught up with the runners -- with many of them reporting disability such as difficulty dressing or grooming or getting out of a chair. But on average, runners' initial report of a disability came 16 years later than that reported by the non-runners on annual questionnaires.
But for the brain, walking may actually be better than running, since there's more oxygen left in the blood to reach the brain than from most vigorous exercise. Studies in the elderly have found that stroke risk can be cut by as much as 57 percent in those who walked as little as 20 minutes a day.
Another study of older women found that those who walked 17 miles or more a week were about 40 percent less likely to experience mental decline than those who walked a half mile or less a week.
.. another study just published in December in the journal Psychological Science, suggests that where we walk may be as important as how much when it comes to brain benefits.
Researchers at the University of Michigan ran two experiments with a group of volunteers, testing them for memory and attention, then sending them out on a walk either in a park or through downtown Ann Arbor, then back for a re-test.
Performance on the memory and attention test improved greatly for the group that took a walk in the park, but did not improve for the group that walked downtown. A similar result was seen when the two groups sat for a while and viewed photos of nature or urban scenes.
The scientists suspect that walking around an urban setting presents the brain with a relatively complex, even confusing pattern of stimulation, while a walk down a tree-lined path takes less mental effort and has a more restorative effect for the brain's attention centers.
The joggers, who put in an average of 4 hours a week on the trail, were matched for comparison with an otherwise similar group of people who did not run.
Nineteen years into the study, 34 percent of the non-runners had died, versus 15 percent of the runners.
Of course, time still caught up with the runners -- with many of them reporting disability such as difficulty dressing or grooming or getting out of a chair. But on average, runners' initial report of a disability came 16 years later than that reported by the non-runners on annual questionnaires.
But for the brain, walking may actually be better than running, since there's more oxygen left in the blood to reach the brain than from most vigorous exercise. Studies in the elderly have found that stroke risk can be cut by as much as 57 percent in those who walked as little as 20 minutes a day.
Another study of older women found that those who walked 17 miles or more a week were about 40 percent less likely to experience mental decline than those who walked a half mile or less a week.
.. another study just published in December in the journal Psychological Science, suggests that where we walk may be as important as how much when it comes to brain benefits.
Researchers at the University of Michigan ran two experiments with a group of volunteers, testing them for memory and attention, then sending them out on a walk either in a park or through downtown Ann Arbor, then back for a re-test.
Performance on the memory and attention test improved greatly for the group that took a walk in the park, but did not improve for the group that walked downtown. A similar result was seen when the two groups sat for a while and viewed photos of nature or urban scenes.
The scientists suspect that walking around an urban setting presents the brain with a relatively complex, even confusing pattern of stimulation, while a walk down a tree-lined path takes less mental effort and has a more restorative effect for the brain's attention centers.
Wednesday, February 04, 2009
smoking and heart attacks
A smoking ban in one Colorado city led to a dramatic drop in heart attack hospitalizations within three years, a sign of just how serious a health threat secondhand smoke is, government researchers said Wednesday.
The study, the longest-running of its kind, showed the rate of hospitalized cases dropped 41 percent in the three years after the ban of workplace smoking in Pueblo, Colo., took effect. There was no such drop in two neighboring areas, and researchers believe it’s a clear sign the ban was responsible.
The study suggests that secondhand smoke may be a terrible and under-recognized cause of heart attack deaths in this country, said one of its authors, Terry Pechacek of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The study, the longest-running of its kind, showed the rate of hospitalized cases dropped 41 percent in the three years after the ban of workplace smoking in Pueblo, Colo., took effect. There was no such drop in two neighboring areas, and researchers believe it’s a clear sign the ban was responsible.
The study suggests that secondhand smoke may be a terrible and under-recognized cause of heart attack deaths in this country, said one of its authors, Terry Pechacek of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Friday, January 23, 2009
Overcome Evil with Good
I happened to be scanning through the channels and I caught an attractive (well she caught my eye anyway) woman quoting "overcome evil with good". The women turned out to be Cheryl Cusella who was a Stevie Nicks impersonator at one time. And the quote is from Romans 12.
I like that philosophy, though the opposite seems to be the prevalent creed with many in this (and other) countries.
I like that philosophy, though the opposite seems to be the prevalent creed with many in this (and other) countries.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Thursday, January 08, 2009
Alzheimer's information
Dear Savvy Senior: My overly dramatic mother is convinced my 72-year-old dad has early stage Alzheimer's disease.
He has gotten more scattered and forgetful in recent years and is a little more irritable, but I don’t think it’s anything serious.
My question is what are the signs of Alzheimer’s and what resources are available to help me learn more?
Prudent Daughter
Dear Prudent: Lots of seniors, like your mother, worry about memory lapses or confusion as they get older, fearing it may be the first signs of Alzheimer’s disease or some other type of dementia.
But the reality is few seniors (less than 14 percent of those over age 70) ever develop it.
Here are some warning signs that can help you spot a potential problem, and some resources to help if you do.
What’s not normal?
Forgetfulness, confusion and irritably is something everyone experiences from time-to-time but it doesn’t necessarily mean we’re developing Alzheimer’s disease.
Or does it?
Knowing the early warning signs is a good first step in recognizing the difference between normal age-related memory loss and a more serious problem.
To help you evaluate your dad’s condition, here’s a checklist of questions to ask yourself:
• Does he often repeat himself or ask the same questions over and over?
• Is he more forgetful, or is he having trouble with short-term memory?
• Does he need reminders to do things like chores, shopping or taking medicine?
• Does he forget appointments, family occasions or holidays?
• Does he seem sad or down in the dumps more often than in the past?
• Has he started having trouble doing calculations, managing finances or balancing the checkbook?
• Has he lost interest in his activities such as hobbies, reading, attending church or other social activities?
• Has he become more irritable, agitated or suspicious than usual?
• Are you concerned about his driving, for example getting lost or driving unsafely?
• Does he have trouble finding the words he wants to say, finishing sentences or naming people or things?
Even if your dad is experiencing some problems, it doesn’t necessarily mean he has Alzheimer’s.
Many memory problems and mood changes are brought on by other factors like stress, depression, side effects of medications, vitamin deficiencies and more. And by treating these conditions he can reduce or eliminate the problem.
What to do
After going through the checklist, if you’re still concerned about your dad’s mental health, get him in to see his doctor for a thorough medical examination.
They may then refer him to a neurologist, psychiatrist, psychologist or geriatrician who specializes in diagnosing and treating memory loss or Alzheimer’s disease.
Finding help
The single best resource to help you learn more and find help is the Alzheimer’s Association.
They offer lots of news and information on their Web site (www.alz.org), along with a 24 hour help-line (800-272-3900) that provides assistance and referrals to local resources that can help you locate medical professionals, caregiving resources, support groups and more.
Another great resource to tap is the Alzheimer’s Disease Education and Referral Center. Created by the National Institute on Aging, at www.nia.nih.gov/alzheimers or 800-438-4380 you can ask specific questions about Alzheimer’s disease, locate clinical trials and order free publications including “What Happens Next?” — a new booklet by and for people with early-stage Alzheimer’s.
Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit www.savvysenior.org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of “The Savvy Senior” book.
[starbulletin, 11/16/08]
He has gotten more scattered and forgetful in recent years and is a little more irritable, but I don’t think it’s anything serious.
My question is what are the signs of Alzheimer’s and what resources are available to help me learn more?
Prudent Daughter
Dear Prudent: Lots of seniors, like your mother, worry about memory lapses or confusion as they get older, fearing it may be the first signs of Alzheimer’s disease or some other type of dementia.
But the reality is few seniors (less than 14 percent of those over age 70) ever develop it.
Here are some warning signs that can help you spot a potential problem, and some resources to help if you do.
What’s not normal?
Forgetfulness, confusion and irritably is something everyone experiences from time-to-time but it doesn’t necessarily mean we’re developing Alzheimer’s disease.
Or does it?
Knowing the early warning signs is a good first step in recognizing the difference between normal age-related memory loss and a more serious problem.
To help you evaluate your dad’s condition, here’s a checklist of questions to ask yourself:
• Does he often repeat himself or ask the same questions over and over?
• Is he more forgetful, or is he having trouble with short-term memory?
• Does he need reminders to do things like chores, shopping or taking medicine?
• Does he forget appointments, family occasions or holidays?
• Does he seem sad or down in the dumps more often than in the past?
• Has he started having trouble doing calculations, managing finances or balancing the checkbook?
• Has he lost interest in his activities such as hobbies, reading, attending church or other social activities?
• Has he become more irritable, agitated or suspicious than usual?
• Are you concerned about his driving, for example getting lost or driving unsafely?
• Does he have trouble finding the words he wants to say, finishing sentences or naming people or things?
Even if your dad is experiencing some problems, it doesn’t necessarily mean he has Alzheimer’s.
Many memory problems and mood changes are brought on by other factors like stress, depression, side effects of medications, vitamin deficiencies and more. And by treating these conditions he can reduce or eliminate the problem.
What to do
After going through the checklist, if you’re still concerned about your dad’s mental health, get him in to see his doctor for a thorough medical examination.
They may then refer him to a neurologist, psychiatrist, psychologist or geriatrician who specializes in diagnosing and treating memory loss or Alzheimer’s disease.
Finding help
The single best resource to help you learn more and find help is the Alzheimer’s Association.
They offer lots of news and information on their Web site (www.alz.org), along with a 24 hour help-line (800-272-3900) that provides assistance and referrals to local resources that can help you locate medical professionals, caregiving resources, support groups and more.
Another great resource to tap is the Alzheimer’s Disease Education and Referral Center. Created by the National Institute on Aging, at www.nia.nih.gov/alzheimers or 800-438-4380 you can ask specific questions about Alzheimer’s disease, locate clinical trials and order free publications including “What Happens Next?” — a new booklet by and for people with early-stage Alzheimer’s.
Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit www.savvysenior.org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of “The Savvy Senior” book.
[starbulletin, 11/16/08]
Global Village
If we could shrink the earth's population to a village of precisely 100 people, with all the existing human ratios remaining the same, it would look something like the following.
There would be:
Sort of, but not quite.
There would be:
- 57 Asians
- 21 Europeans
- 14 from the Western Hemisphere, both north and south
- 8 Africans
- 52 would be female
- 48 would be male
- 70 would be non-white
- 30 would be white
- 70 would be non-Christian
- 30 would be Christian
- 89 would be heterosexual
- 11 would be homosexual
- 6 people would possess 59% of the entire world's wealth and all 6 would be from the United States.
- 80 would live in substandard housing
- 70 would be unable to read
- 50 would suffer from malnutrition
- 1 would be near death; 1 would be near birth
- 1 (yes, only 1) would have a college education
- 1 would own a computer
Sort of, but not quite.
Tuesday, January 06, 2009
Bodhisattva
"Bodhisattva" is a Sanskrit word that means a person who is pursuing Buddha's enlightenment not only for himself or herself, but also for others. The concept is important for Mahayana Buddhism. In any Mahayana sutra, bodhisattvas are described. In the Lotus Sutra it says that we are all bodhisattvas who have been given a mission to spread the Buddha's wisdom in this world.
The two most important attributes of the bodhisattva are respect and compassion.
The image of "Bodhisattva Perceiver of the World's Sounds" has been popular in China, Korea and Japan since a long time ago. He can change himself into different forms to help and lead people to the Buddha's enlightenment through his compassionate and respectful heart. For example, when you are in the darkness and don't know where you are, he will give you a candle light. When you are hungry, he gives you a loaf of bread or a bowl of rice. When you are in danger, he will come to you and save your life. What a wonderful bodhisattva he is!
When you are driving your car and speeding, suppose there's a slow car in front of yours. You might be angry at the car. But think about it. That car's driver could be Bodhisattva Perceiver of the World's Sounds. He might be preventing you from an accident or from receiving a speeding ticket. If you think this way, rather than getting angry at the driver, wouldn't you feel much better?
When you are warned by someone like your boss at work, you might get angry or hate your boss. But think about it; they could be right. No one takes the time to warn you unless they like you as their co-worker. They could be Bodhisattva Perceiver of the World's Sounds and are preventing you from doing something wrong.
Given advice by your friend, you might not want to listen. But think about it. They could be right. Because they like you and care about you, they do that. They might be Bodhisattva Perceiver of the World's Sounds and preventing you from being ignorant.
If you think this way, rather than being angry or hating them, isn't that feeling much better for yourself?
We, as bodhisattvas, endeavor to increase our understanding and appreciation of what others have given and contributed to us and to develop constant and mindful consideration of how our thoughts and actions will beneficially contribute to others.
The two most important attributes of the bodhisattva are respect and compassion.
The image of "Bodhisattva Perceiver of the World's Sounds" has been popular in China, Korea and Japan since a long time ago. He can change himself into different forms to help and lead people to the Buddha's enlightenment through his compassionate and respectful heart. For example, when you are in the darkness and don't know where you are, he will give you a candle light. When you are hungry, he gives you a loaf of bread or a bowl of rice. When you are in danger, he will come to you and save your life. What a wonderful bodhisattva he is!
When you are driving your car and speeding, suppose there's a slow car in front of yours. You might be angry at the car. But think about it. That car's driver could be Bodhisattva Perceiver of the World's Sounds. He might be preventing you from an accident or from receiving a speeding ticket. If you think this way, rather than getting angry at the driver, wouldn't you feel much better?
When you are warned by someone like your boss at work, you might get angry or hate your boss. But think about it; they could be right. No one takes the time to warn you unless they like you as their co-worker. They could be Bodhisattva Perceiver of the World's Sounds and are preventing you from doing something wrong.
Given advice by your friend, you might not want to listen. But think about it. They could be right. Because they like you and care about you, they do that. They might be Bodhisattva Perceiver of the World's Sounds and preventing you from being ignorant.
If you think this way, rather than being angry or hating them, isn't that feeling much better for yourself?
We, as bodhisattvas, endeavor to increase our understanding and appreciation of what others have given and contributed to us and to develop constant and mindful consideration of how our thoughts and actions will beneficially contribute to others.
Monday, January 05, 2009
Deciphering Women’s Code Words
My friend Sarah sent me an e-mail recently about words women use, which got me thinking about the kind of language we ladies choose to express our feelings and why these phrases need deciphering for most men.
Included on the list were the following:
Fine
Five minutes
Nothing
Go Ahead
(Loud Sigh)
Whatever
-- Katie Young, MidWeek, 12/03/08
Included on the list were the following:
Fine
Five minutes
Nothing
Go Ahead
(Loud Sigh)
Whatever
-- Katie Young, MidWeek, 12/03/08
Saturday, January 03, 2009
happiness is contagious
When you're smiling, the whole world really does smile with you. A paper being published Friday in a British medical journal concludes that happiness is contagious — and that people pass on their good cheer even to total strangers. American researchers who tracked more than 4,700 people in Framingham, Mass., as part of a 20-year heart study also found the transferred happiness is good for up to a year.
"Happiness is like a stampede," said Nicholas Christakis, a professor in Harvard University's sociology department and co-author of the study. "Whether you're happy depends not just on your own actions and behaviors and thoughts, but on those of people you don't even know."
Happy people tended to be at the center of social networks and had many friends who were also happy. Having friends or siblings nearby increased people's chances of being upbeat. Happiness spread outward by three degrees, to the friends of friends of friends.
Christakis and Fowler estimate that each happy friend boosts your own chances of being happy by 9 percent. Having grumpy friends decreases it by about 7 percent.
But it also turns out misery don't love company: Happiness seemed to spread more consistently than unhappiness. But that doesn't mean you should drop your gloomy friends.
"Every friend increases the probability that you're at the center of a network, which means you are more eligible to get a wave of happiness," Fowler said.
Being happy also brings other benefits, including a protective effect on your immune system so you produce fewer stress hormones, said Andrew Steptoe, a psychology professor at University College London who was not involved with the study.
According to the research, an extra chunk of money increases your odds of being happy only marginally — notably less than the odds of being happier if you have a happy friend.
"You can save your money," Christakis said. "Being around happy people is better."
"Happiness is like a stampede," said Nicholas Christakis, a professor in Harvard University's sociology department and co-author of the study. "Whether you're happy depends not just on your own actions and behaviors and thoughts, but on those of people you don't even know."
Happy people tended to be at the center of social networks and had many friends who were also happy. Having friends or siblings nearby increased people's chances of being upbeat. Happiness spread outward by three degrees, to the friends of friends of friends.
Christakis and Fowler estimate that each happy friend boosts your own chances of being happy by 9 percent. Having grumpy friends decreases it by about 7 percent.
But it also turns out misery don't love company: Happiness seemed to spread more consistently than unhappiness. But that doesn't mean you should drop your gloomy friends.
"Every friend increases the probability that you're at the center of a network, which means you are more eligible to get a wave of happiness," Fowler said.
Being happy also brings other benefits, including a protective effect on your immune system so you produce fewer stress hormones, said Andrew Steptoe, a psychology professor at University College London who was not involved with the study.
According to the research, an extra chunk of money increases your odds of being happy only marginally — notably less than the odds of being happier if you have a happy friend.
"You can save your money," Christakis said. "Being around happy people is better."
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Sunday, December 28, 2008
the first Christmas tree
In case you're under the impression that Christmas trees are an ancient Christian practice, they've really only been part of popular culture for the past couple of centuries. As recently as 1851, the first Christmas tree in an American church was erected by Pastor Henry Schwan of Cleveland. Did his flock sing hosannas? Nope. He was attacked and the tree removed, as such activity was clearly a pagan practice.
As the Good Book stateth in Jeremiah: "Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them. For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe. They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not."
As the Good Book stateth in Jeremiah: "Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them. For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe. They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not."
Tuesday, December 02, 2008
GTD
A clean desk might be the sign of an empty mind, as some bumper stickers suggest, but that’s exactly how David Allen likes it. The veteran coach and management consultant, leader of the Ojai, California–based David Allen Company and author of three bestselling books including Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity (Viking Penguin, 2001), has blazed the trail in productivity training, time management and stress reduction, aiding clients ranging from major global corporations such as American Express to Boy Scout troops.
The mission and method, as shared in Costco member Allen’s books and workshops are simple: Clear the to-do list clutter from your head so that your mind can get to work on creative action.
Allen’s productivity methods, titled GTD (for Getting Things Done), are being used by tens of millions of people around the world, from Estonia to Russia to India, and are successful because, according to company spokesman James Rider, “we don’t let work define us. We define our work. GTD is the bridge between the practicality of handling everyday tasks and finding the spiritual promise of relaxation, focus and control.”
The mission and method, as shared in Costco member Allen’s books and workshops are simple: Clear the to-do list clutter from your head so that your mind can get to work on creative action.
Allen’s productivity methods, titled GTD (for Getting Things Done), are being used by tens of millions of people around the world, from Estonia to Russia to India, and are successful because, according to company spokesman James Rider, “we don’t let work define us. We define our work. GTD is the bridge between the practicality of handling everyday tasks and finding the spiritual promise of relaxation, focus and control.”
Chris Rose is a liberal and a conservative
There's no getting around it: The C-word and the L-word are at the root of our nation's Great Divide. Together they are the elephant in the room and we need to wrestle it to the ground before we all end up looking like asses and, yes, puns intended.
Surprising signs of Longevity
Consider this: In the 20th century, the average life expectancy shot up 30 years — the greatest gain in 5,000 years of human history. And this: Centenarians — folks who make it into the triple digits — aren't such an exclusive club anymore, increasing 51% from 1990 to 2000. How to account for these dramatic leaps? Advances in health, education, and disease prevention and treatments are high on the list — and that makes sense. But what you may not know is that seemingly unimportant everyday habits, or circumstances in your past, can influence how long and how well you'll live.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
wealth gap widens
Economic inequality is growing in the world's richest countries, particularly in the United States, jeopardizing the American dream of social mobility just as the world tilts toward recession, a 30-nation report said yesterday.
The gap between rich and poor has widened over the past 20 years in nearly all the countries studied, even as trade and technological advances have led to rapid growth in their economies.
With job losses and home foreclosures increasing and many of these countries now facing recession, policy-makers must act quickly to prevent a surge in populist and protectionist sentiment as was seen after the Great Depression, said the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, or OECD, which is based in Paris.
In a 20-year study of its member countries, the OECD found that inequality had increased in 27 of its 30 members.
The United States has the highest inequality and poverty rates in the OECD after Mexico and Turkey, and the gap has increased rapidly since 2000, the report said. France, meanwhile, has seen inequalities fall in the past 20 years as poorer workers are better paid.
Rising inequality threatens social mobility -- children doing better than their parents, the poor improving their lot through hard work -- which is lower in countries such as the U.S., Great Britain and Italy, where inequality is high, than countries with less inequality such as Denmark, Sweden and Australia, the report said.
Wealthy households are not only widening the gap with the poor, but in such countries as the United States, Canada and Germany, they are also leaving middle-income earners further behind.
The OECD's Gurria urged governments to deal with the "divisive" issue of growing inequality.
"Greater income inequality stifles upward mobility between generations, making it harder for talented and hardworking people to get the rewards they deserve," he said in a statement. "It polarizes societies, it divides regions within countries, and it carves up the world between rich and poor."
In the United States, the richest 10 percent earn an average of $93,000 -- the highest level in the OECD. The poorest 10 percent earn an average of $5,800 -- about 20 percent lower than the OECD average.
*** [3/29/14]
Everyone knows someone (or is someone) who started from nothing and became something. The problem, as they say in journalism, is that the plural of "anecdote" is not "trend." Yes, some are born into poverty and work their way to the top. But most don't.
Just 4% of those born into the lowest income quintile eventually make it to the top income quintile, but 40% of those born into the highest income group will stay there as adults, according to the Pew Economic Mobility Project. Of those born into the lowest income quintile, more than 70% won't make it out of the bottom half of wage earners as adults. For those born into the top income quintile, two-thirds will remain in the top half as adults.
*** [3/29/14]
Movies on the subject on Netflix.
Inequality for All
Park Avenue: Money, Power and the American Dream
The One Percent
*** [4/25/14]
As a second-generation Irish American, I was a huge believer in the American dream as a kid. My parents quoted Walt Disney at the dinner table, and taught us that anyone could achieve whatever they wanted to in life, as long as they worked hard enough. Abraham Lincoln's rise from a one-room log cabin in Kentucky all the way up to the White House seemed to me like the perfect illustration of my parents' teaching.
It appears that my early faith in rapid social mobility in the United States might not have been entirely justified, according to a recent study. Gregory Clark, author of "The Son Also Rises: Surnames and the History of Social Mobility", has found that the pace of social mobility is much, much slower than we previously thought. According to his research, you may eventually succeed in raising the status of your family, but in some cases, it could "take 10 to 15 generations (300 to 450 years), much longer than most social scientists have estimated in the past."
Clark has conducted a rigorous analysis of surnames in order to track the rich and poor across the generations in England, the United States, Sweden, India, Japan, Korea, China, Taiwan, and Chile. Instead of just looking at one aspect of social mobility, he considers a wide array of factors such as wealth, income, occupational status, and education. His research focuses on surnames inherited by fathers because most of the societies he studied were characterized by this form of surname inheritance. Clark doesn't think the results would be any different by studying the matrilineal lines.
This is how he concisely summarizes his main thesis:
*** [7/9/14] Blake's thread
[7/29/14] Read about this three generation rule in Ho'oulu 'Ohana Issue 04 2013 (which is a newsletter from First Hawaiian Bank Wealth Management Group. Don't see the issue online, but the above would seem to contradict this rule.
Anyway, here's an excerpt from the article.
In her role in wealth planning, [Jodene] Arakaki is aware of the problems families can run into that diminish their wealth across generations.
Issues arise when their is a lack of financial literacy, less emphasis on family values and differences in generational approaches to handling and managing wealth, she said, adding that each generation perceives money differently because of the experiences each has had with it.
"Those in the first generation were the creators of wealth," said Arakaki. "They are the immigrants who came to this country with hardly anything or the business owners who started their businesses from scratch. These individuals worked hard and made personal sacrifices to build that family wealth."
"The second generation may not have had it as hard as the first generation, but they at least witnessed what their parents went through. They had a chance to see the the struggle and sweat it took to get the family on track to a better standard of living. So the second generation understands what it took to build the wealth and is more motivated to preserve the family's wealth."
"The third generation is fortunate in that they grew up reaping the benefits of their hard-working family members before them," she said. "Because of this, they may not have the same perspectives or attitudes toward wealth as their parents or grandparents. Without a sense of the personal cost to build that wealth, some of them might spend it more freely."
[actually that makes sense to me]
The gap between rich and poor has widened over the past 20 years in nearly all the countries studied, even as trade and technological advances have led to rapid growth in their economies.
With job losses and home foreclosures increasing and many of these countries now facing recession, policy-makers must act quickly to prevent a surge in populist and protectionist sentiment as was seen after the Great Depression, said the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, or OECD, which is based in Paris.
In a 20-year study of its member countries, the OECD found that inequality had increased in 27 of its 30 members.
The United States has the highest inequality and poverty rates in the OECD after Mexico and Turkey, and the gap has increased rapidly since 2000, the report said. France, meanwhile, has seen inequalities fall in the past 20 years as poorer workers are better paid.
Rising inequality threatens social mobility -- children doing better than their parents, the poor improving their lot through hard work -- which is lower in countries such as the U.S., Great Britain and Italy, where inequality is high, than countries with less inequality such as Denmark, Sweden and Australia, the report said.
Wealthy households are not only widening the gap with the poor, but in such countries as the United States, Canada and Germany, they are also leaving middle-income earners further behind.
The OECD's Gurria urged governments to deal with the "divisive" issue of growing inequality.
"Greater income inequality stifles upward mobility between generations, making it harder for talented and hardworking people to get the rewards they deserve," he said in a statement. "It polarizes societies, it divides regions within countries, and it carves up the world between rich and poor."
In the United States, the richest 10 percent earn an average of $93,000 -- the highest level in the OECD. The poorest 10 percent earn an average of $5,800 -- about 20 percent lower than the OECD average.
*** [3/29/14]
Everyone knows someone (or is someone) who started from nothing and became something. The problem, as they say in journalism, is that the plural of "anecdote" is not "trend." Yes, some are born into poverty and work their way to the top. But most don't.
Just 4% of those born into the lowest income quintile eventually make it to the top income quintile, but 40% of those born into the highest income group will stay there as adults, according to the Pew Economic Mobility Project. Of those born into the lowest income quintile, more than 70% won't make it out of the bottom half of wage earners as adults. For those born into the top income quintile, two-thirds will remain in the top half as adults.
*** [3/29/14]
Movies on the subject on Netflix.
Inequality for All
Park Avenue: Money, Power and the American Dream
The One Percent
*** [4/25/14]
As a second-generation Irish American, I was a huge believer in the American dream as a kid. My parents quoted Walt Disney at the dinner table, and taught us that anyone could achieve whatever they wanted to in life, as long as they worked hard enough. Abraham Lincoln's rise from a one-room log cabin in Kentucky all the way up to the White House seemed to me like the perfect illustration of my parents' teaching.
It appears that my early faith in rapid social mobility in the United States might not have been entirely justified, according to a recent study. Gregory Clark, author of "The Son Also Rises: Surnames and the History of Social Mobility", has found that the pace of social mobility is much, much slower than we previously thought. According to his research, you may eventually succeed in raising the status of your family, but in some cases, it could "take 10 to 15 generations (300 to 450 years), much longer than most social scientists have estimated in the past."
Clark has conducted a rigorous analysis of surnames in order to track the rich and poor across the generations in England, the United States, Sweden, India, Japan, Korea, China, Taiwan, and Chile. Instead of just looking at one aspect of social mobility, he considers a wide array of factors such as wealth, income, occupational status, and education. His research focuses on surnames inherited by fathers because most of the societies he studied were characterized by this form of surname inheritance. Clark doesn't think the results would be any different by studying the matrilineal lines.
This is how he concisely summarizes his main thesis:
To a striking extent, your overall life chances can be predicted not just from your parents' status but also from your great-great-great-great grandparents'.While believing that success depends very much on individual effort, Clark's findings seem to indicate that "the compulsion to strive, the talent to prosper and the ability to overcome failure are strongly inherited."
*** [7/9/14] Blake's thread
[7/29/14] Read about this three generation rule in Ho'oulu 'Ohana Issue 04 2013 (which is a newsletter from First Hawaiian Bank Wealth Management Group. Don't see the issue online, but the above would seem to contradict this rule.
Anyway, here's an excerpt from the article.
In her role in wealth planning, [Jodene] Arakaki is aware of the problems families can run into that diminish their wealth across generations.
Issues arise when their is a lack of financial literacy, less emphasis on family values and differences in generational approaches to handling and managing wealth, she said, adding that each generation perceives money differently because of the experiences each has had with it.
"Those in the first generation were the creators of wealth," said Arakaki. "They are the immigrants who came to this country with hardly anything or the business owners who started their businesses from scratch. These individuals worked hard and made personal sacrifices to build that family wealth."
"The second generation may not have had it as hard as the first generation, but they at least witnessed what their parents went through. They had a chance to see the the struggle and sweat it took to get the family on track to a better standard of living. So the second generation understands what it took to build the wealth and is more motivated to preserve the family's wealth."
"The third generation is fortunate in that they grew up reaping the benefits of their hard-working family members before them," she said. "Because of this, they may not have the same perspectives or attitudes toward wealth as their parents or grandparents. Without a sense of the personal cost to build that wealth, some of them might spend it more freely."
[actually that makes sense to me]
Friday, November 14, 2008
Gerald Celente
The man who predicted the 1987 stock market crash and the fall of the Soviet Union is now forecasting revolution in America, food riots and tax rebellions - all within four years.
Gerald Celente, the CEO of Trends Research Institute, is renowned for his accuracy in predicting future world and economic events, which will send a chill down your spine considering what he told Fox News this week.
Celente says that by 2012 America will become an undeveloped nation, that there will be a revolution marked by food riots, squatter rebellions, tax revolts and job marches, and that holidays will be more about obtaining food, not gifts.
“We’re going to see the end of the retail Christmas….we’re going to see a fundamental shift take place….putting food on the table is going to be more important that putting gifts under the Christmas tree,” said Celente, adding that the situation would be “worse than the great depression”.
“America’s going to go through a transition the likes of which no one is prepared for,” said Celente, noting that people’s refusal to acknowledge that America was even in a recession highlights how big a problem denial is in being ready for the true scale of the crisis.
Celente, who successfully predicted the 1997 Asian Currency Crisis, the subprime mortgage collapse and the massive devaluation of the U.S. dollar, told UPI in November last year that the following year would be known as “The Panic of 2008,” adding that “giants (would) tumble to their deaths,” which is exactly what we have witnessed with the collapse of Lehman Brothers, Bear Stearns and others. He also said that the dollar would eventually be devalued by as much as 90 per cent.
[via chucks_angels]
Gerald Celente, the CEO of Trends Research Institute, is renowned for his accuracy in predicting future world and economic events, which will send a chill down your spine considering what he told Fox News this week.
Celente says that by 2012 America will become an undeveloped nation, that there will be a revolution marked by food riots, squatter rebellions, tax revolts and job marches, and that holidays will be more about obtaining food, not gifts.
“We’re going to see the end of the retail Christmas….we’re going to see a fundamental shift take place….putting food on the table is going to be more important that putting gifts under the Christmas tree,” said Celente, adding that the situation would be “worse than the great depression”.
“America’s going to go through a transition the likes of which no one is prepared for,” said Celente, noting that people’s refusal to acknowledge that America was even in a recession highlights how big a problem denial is in being ready for the true scale of the crisis.
Celente, who successfully predicted the 1997 Asian Currency Crisis, the subprime mortgage collapse and the massive devaluation of the U.S. dollar, told UPI in November last year that the following year would be known as “The Panic of 2008,” adding that “giants (would) tumble to their deaths,” which is exactly what we have witnessed with the collapse of Lehman Brothers, Bear Stearns and others. He also said that the dollar would eventually be devalued by as much as 90 per cent.
[via chucks_angels]
Thursday, November 06, 2008
divine retribution
America's opponents in the Middle East are gloating over the financial meltdown in the United States, painting it as divine retribution for past misdeeds against Muslims and the last gasps of a dying empire.
Hardline clerics across the region and groups like Hamas and al-Qaida took delight in America's financial woes even though it has not left the region unscathed, with stock markets across the Middle East dropping more than 10 percent last week.
"We are witnessing the collapse of the American Empire," Hamas prime minister in the Gaza Strip, Ismail Haniyeh, told worshippers during Friday prayers. "What's going on in America is a result of the violation of the rights of people in Palestine, Somalia, Iraq, Afghanistan and Muslims around the world."
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Tuesday that America was paying the price for exporting inflation and deficits to the rest of the world.
"Now the world capacity is full and these problems have returned to the U.S." he said. "And finally they are oppressors, and systems based on oppression and unrighteous positions will not endure."
High level Iranian cleric, Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati, was more blunt addressing worshippers on Oct. 3.
"We are happy that the U.S. economy is in anarchy and the anarchy is reaching Europe," Jannati said. "They are seeing the result of their own ugly doings and God is punishing them."
Iran denies the financial crisis has hurt its economy, but the turmoil has helped drive the price of oil down more than 40 percent since July, shrinking revenues in a country that relies on oil for 80 percent of its budget.
Al-Qaida was one of the first groups to express satisfaction over the financial crisis.
"The enemies of Islam are facing a crushing defeat, which is beginning to manifest itself in the expanding crisis their economy is experiencing," said American al-Qaida member Adam Gadahn in a video released early this month.
One hardline Sunni cleric in U.S.-allied Lebanon saw the financial collapse as God's answer to Muslim prayers.
"God has responded to the supplications of the oppressed people," Mufti of Mount Lebanon Sheik Mohammed Ali al-Jouzo told the state-run news agency Thursday. "It is the curse that hits every arrogant power."
Associated Press writers Bassem Mroue in Beirut, Lebanon, Ali Dareini in Tehran, Iran and Karin Laub in Ramallah, West Bank, contributed to this report.
Hardline clerics across the region and groups like Hamas and al-Qaida took delight in America's financial woes even though it has not left the region unscathed, with stock markets across the Middle East dropping more than 10 percent last week.
"We are witnessing the collapse of the American Empire," Hamas prime minister in the Gaza Strip, Ismail Haniyeh, told worshippers during Friday prayers. "What's going on in America is a result of the violation of the rights of people in Palestine, Somalia, Iraq, Afghanistan and Muslims around the world."
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Tuesday that America was paying the price for exporting inflation and deficits to the rest of the world.
"Now the world capacity is full and these problems have returned to the U.S." he said. "And finally they are oppressors, and systems based on oppression and unrighteous positions will not endure."
High level Iranian cleric, Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati, was more blunt addressing worshippers on Oct. 3.
"We are happy that the U.S. economy is in anarchy and the anarchy is reaching Europe," Jannati said. "They are seeing the result of their own ugly doings and God is punishing them."
Iran denies the financial crisis has hurt its economy, but the turmoil has helped drive the price of oil down more than 40 percent since July, shrinking revenues in a country that relies on oil for 80 percent of its budget.
Al-Qaida was one of the first groups to express satisfaction over the financial crisis.
"The enemies of Islam are facing a crushing defeat, which is beginning to manifest itself in the expanding crisis their economy is experiencing," said American al-Qaida member Adam Gadahn in a video released early this month.
One hardline Sunni cleric in U.S.-allied Lebanon saw the financial collapse as God's answer to Muslim prayers.
"God has responded to the supplications of the oppressed people," Mufti of Mount Lebanon Sheik Mohammed Ali al-Jouzo told the state-run news agency Thursday. "It is the curse that hits every arrogant power."
Associated Press writers Bassem Mroue in Beirut, Lebanon, Ali Dareini in Tehran, Iran and Karin Laub in Ramallah, West Bank, contributed to this report.
Sunday, November 02, 2008
The Evolving American Dream
Much has been written about the broad economic and technological changes in our lives. But just how are we handling these changes? I have been tracking public opinion since the late 1980s, and the answer is simple: American attitudes and expectations are changing just as dramatically.
What do the changes mean for different age groups? We took a look:
The Private Generation (1926-45): The foot soldiers of a new army of volunteers grew to adulthood mostly without questioning authority. They will constitute the largest pool of octogenarians, nonagenarians and centenarians ever. From them we will learn how (and how not) to age with dignity and how to make the post-retirement years useful.
The Woodstockers (1946-1964): My fellow boomers stopped a war, marched for equality and helped usher in new values regarding gender, sex and the environment. We know the power of protest and how to use it. So we will force Congress to pass meaningful health care reform, and we’ll show how to live well and live within limits.
The Nike Generation (1965-78): Born into a world of assassinations, presidential scandals, abortion rights debates, military losses and record divorce rates, Nikes learned early that no institution is permanent, that relationships are fleeting. They’re creating a world of indie films and music, holistic medicine, organic food—and alternatives to traditional marriages, families and schools.
The First Globals (1979-90): Over half of these young Americans have passports and a worldview that is planetary. One in four “expect” to live and work in a foreign country. They’re instantly exposed to the entire world via the Internet, music, fashion and sports. They’re driving a new age of inclusion and authenticity. As our internationalists, they’re the least likely to feel that our culture is superior to that of other nations. They prefer not to take a simple pro or con on tough issues such as abortion, but rather to judge each situation on its merits.
In short, we see a fundamental transformation in the American character—and the American dream: living within limits, more modest expectations, a global view and a demand for authenticity.
What do the changes mean for different age groups? We took a look:
The Private Generation (1926-45): The foot soldiers of a new army of volunteers grew to adulthood mostly without questioning authority. They will constitute the largest pool of octogenarians, nonagenarians and centenarians ever. From them we will learn how (and how not) to age with dignity and how to make the post-retirement years useful.
The Woodstockers (1946-1964): My fellow boomers stopped a war, marched for equality and helped usher in new values regarding gender, sex and the environment. We know the power of protest and how to use it. So we will force Congress to pass meaningful health care reform, and we’ll show how to live well and live within limits.
The Nike Generation (1965-78): Born into a world of assassinations, presidential scandals, abortion rights debates, military losses and record divorce rates, Nikes learned early that no institution is permanent, that relationships are fleeting. They’re creating a world of indie films and music, holistic medicine, organic food—and alternatives to traditional marriages, families and schools.
The First Globals (1979-90): Over half of these young Americans have passports and a worldview that is planetary. One in four “expect” to live and work in a foreign country. They’re instantly exposed to the entire world via the Internet, music, fashion and sports. They’re driving a new age of inclusion and authenticity. As our internationalists, they’re the least likely to feel that our culture is superior to that of other nations. They prefer not to take a simple pro or con on tough issues such as abortion, but rather to judge each situation on its merits.
In short, we see a fundamental transformation in the American character—and the American dream: living within limits, more modest expectations, a global view and a demand for authenticity.
Saturday, November 01, 2008
older and wiser?
Are you getting older and wiser? Or just older?
The authors of a new edition of "Progress in Brain Research," a book for neurologists, suggest that in most adults a slowdown in reading speed (once assumed to be a sign of decline) actually indicates broader comprehension.
A younger brain may focus more deeply on relevant information, but an older one may take away more overall meaning from the material. The former behavior is fine for many purposes, of course, but the latter is instrumental in acquiring wisdom.
In studies where college students and older adults read material that included seemingly extraneous information, the older group took a longer time. But when both groups were quizzed on the material-including the extra items-the older adults performed better than the students. The authors credit a gradual widening of attention as a person grows older.
The authors of a new edition of "Progress in Brain Research," a book for neurologists, suggest that in most adults a slowdown in reading speed (once assumed to be a sign of decline) actually indicates broader comprehension.
A younger brain may focus more deeply on relevant information, but an older one may take away more overall meaning from the material. The former behavior is fine for many purposes, of course, but the latter is instrumental in acquiring wisdom.
In studies where college students and older adults read material that included seemingly extraneous information, the older group took a longer time. But when both groups were quizzed on the material-including the extra items-the older adults performed better than the students. The authors credit a gradual widening of attention as a person grows older.
Eating for a better mood
The next time you feel blue or irritable, you may want to take a look at what's in your fridge. Researchers who study the food-mood connection have found that certain vitamins and other compounds in food can change brain chemistry. Foods influence the activity of neurotransmitters, the chemicals that convey information from one neuron to the next. Anything that affects these chemical messengers affects your mood—making food a pretty powerful "drug" when it comes to how you feel and act.
For example, several studies have shown that omega-3 fatty acids may be effective at combatting depression. One study found that a group of pregnant women taking 3.4 grams of omega-3s per day had significantly fewer depressive symptoms than those taking a placebo. And a review of 10 clinical trials showed a significant reduction in depressive symptoms among subjects taking omega-3s. The best food sources are fatty fish such as wild salmon, sardines, and herring. You may also want to consider taking a daily fish-oil supplement.
For example, several studies have shown that omega-3 fatty acids may be effective at combatting depression. One study found that a group of pregnant women taking 3.4 grams of omega-3s per day had significantly fewer depressive symptoms than those taking a placebo. And a review of 10 clinical trials showed a significant reduction in depressive symptoms among subjects taking omega-3s. The best food sources are fatty fish such as wild salmon, sardines, and herring. You may also want to consider taking a daily fish-oil supplement.
Monday, October 27, 2008
reduce, reuse, recycle
While it’s great that an institution like UCLA boasts a wide array of recycling centers for paper, plastic and other materials, the big first step in eliminating unnecessary waste and pollution is preventing it.
“I believe we should reduce, reuse, recycle, in that order specifically,” said Robert Gilbert, the sustainability coordinator for UCLA housing and hospitality. “The less stuff you use, the less energy it consumes.”
“I believe we should reduce, reuse, recycle, in that order specifically,” said Robert Gilbert, the sustainability coordinator for UCLA housing and hospitality. “The less stuff you use, the less energy it consumes.”
Saturday, October 18, 2008
A Liberal Supermajority
If the current polls hold, Barack Obama will win the White House on November 4 and Democrats will consolidate their Congressional majorities, probably with a filibuster-proof Senate or very close to it. Without the ability to filibuster, the Senate would become like the House, able to pass whatever the majority wants.
Though we doubt most Americans realize it, this would be one of the most profound political and ideological shifts in U.S. history. Liberals would dominate the entire government in a way they haven't since 1965, or 1933. In other words, the election would mark the restoration of the activist government that fell out of public favor in the 1970s. If the U.S. really is entering a period of unchecked left-wing ascendancy, Americans at least ought to understand what they will be getting, especially with the media cheering it all on.
Though we doubt most Americans realize it, this would be one of the most profound political and ideological shifts in U.S. history. Liberals would dominate the entire government in a way they haven't since 1965, or 1933. In other words, the election would mark the restoration of the activist government that fell out of public favor in the 1970s. If the U.S. really is entering a period of unchecked left-wing ascendancy, Americans at least ought to understand what they will be getting, especially with the media cheering it all on.
Feldenkrais
During a Feldenkrais Method group class, you won't see much resembling "exercise." There is no repetition of movements, no competition or emphasis on "fitness" at all.
Rarely will anyone break a sweat. "Do it in a lazy way," instructed Eve Strauss during an Awareness Through Movement class last week at the Manoa Dance Studio, "Let it be easy."
While "lazy" and "easy" are rarely heard in other movement classes, they are near and dear to the Feldenkrais Method. "We are investigating options for moving, like a baby does. We are watching the effects of each movement on the whole organism. How do you breathe when you're in this position? Is it the same on the right and left side of your body?"
A concern with symmetry is integral to Feldenkrais. Special attention is paid to the diagonals of the body. Many lessons involve movements that clarify a connection between the right shoulder and left hip, and vice versa. Likewise with the right side of the ribcage and the left ankle.
Improvements are said to come from clarifying these subtle but important correspondences, what Dr. Moshe Feldenkrais called "the elusive obvious."
Rarely will anyone break a sweat. "Do it in a lazy way," instructed Eve Strauss during an Awareness Through Movement class last week at the Manoa Dance Studio, "Let it be easy."
While "lazy" and "easy" are rarely heard in other movement classes, they are near and dear to the Feldenkrais Method. "We are investigating options for moving, like a baby does. We are watching the effects of each movement on the whole organism. How do you breathe when you're in this position? Is it the same on the right and left side of your body?"
A concern with symmetry is integral to Feldenkrais. Special attention is paid to the diagonals of the body. Many lessons involve movements that clarify a connection between the right shoulder and left hip, and vice versa. Likewise with the right side of the ribcage and the left ankle.
Improvements are said to come from clarifying these subtle but important correspondences, what Dr. Moshe Feldenkrais called "the elusive obvious."
Friday, October 17, 2008
Slacker Uprising
[9/22/08] Michael Moore, the political provocateur behind the films “Fahrenheit 9/11” and “Sicko,” is releasing a new film Tuesday. But you will not be able to find “Slacker Uprising” at any theater.
Instead he is placing the film on the Internet for free viewing, at SlackerUprising.com. Mr. Moore said the unorthodox rollout is a gift to his fans and a rallying cry for the coming election.
“At times there’s nothing wrong with preaching to the choir,” he said in a telephone interview from his office in Traverse City, Mich.
[5/29/12] You can now watch Fahrenheit 9/11 and Sicko online. Linked above.
Michael Moore documentaries at topdocumentaryfilms.com.
Capitalism: A Love Story (2009)
Slacker Uprising (2008)
Sicko (2007)
Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004) [see above links for full movie]
Bowling for Columbine (2002)
Roger and Me (1989)
Instead he is placing the film on the Internet for free viewing, at SlackerUprising.com. Mr. Moore said the unorthodox rollout is a gift to his fans and a rallying cry for the coming election.
“At times there’s nothing wrong with preaching to the choir,” he said in a telephone interview from his office in Traverse City, Mich.
[5/29/12] You can now watch Fahrenheit 9/11 and Sicko online. Linked above.
Michael Moore documentaries at topdocumentaryfilms.com.
Capitalism: A Love Story (2009)
Slacker Uprising (2008)
Sicko (2007)
Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004) [see above links for full movie]
Bowling for Columbine (2002)
Roger and Me (1989)
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Soul masters
Filmmaker Sande Zeig wasn't interested in healing. And she definitely wasn't seeking enlightenment. But somehow she was compelled to direct and produce "Soul Masters," a film to be screened in the islands next week.
"Soul Masters" follows the work of two Chinese healers, Zhi Gang Sha and Zhi Chen Guo.
Guo, as a researcher, developed an herbal formula that helped contain the SARS outbreak in China. He has also contributed to the understanding of diseases including diabetes and cancer. At his clinic in China, some people claim he can cure the incurable.
Sha has integrated ancient healing traditions of the East with scientific principles from the West to establish a healing system known as Power Healing and Soul Mind Body Medicine. A New York Times best-selling author, his most recent book is "Soul Wisdom: Practical Soul Treasures to Transform Your Life" (Heaven's Library, 2007, $16).
For Zeig, it all began when Sha treated her father. "He had gangrene. Five doctors told him that if he didn't amputate his leg, he'd have three months to live. He refused to have the operation," she said.
Zeig's brother, Jeffrey Zeig, a psychologist, met with Sha during a visit to Phoenix, Ariz. "Master Sha came into our lives and did this healing for my dad," she said. "He didn't seem to do anything, but he was doing a spiritual healing for my father. We taught him how to chant and it was like a miracle. He was in hospice care but lived for another year and a half."
Zeig decided she needed to make a film about Sha. "Literally 10 days later, I was in China with him and a group of 60 students. I just knew that this was something that I had to do. ... It was so clear that there was a movie here."
"Soul Masters" follows the work of two Chinese healers, Zhi Gang Sha and Zhi Chen Guo.
Guo, as a researcher, developed an herbal formula that helped contain the SARS outbreak in China. He has also contributed to the understanding of diseases including diabetes and cancer. At his clinic in China, some people claim he can cure the incurable.
Sha has integrated ancient healing traditions of the East with scientific principles from the West to establish a healing system known as Power Healing and Soul Mind Body Medicine. A New York Times best-selling author, his most recent book is "Soul Wisdom: Practical Soul Treasures to Transform Your Life" (Heaven's Library, 2007, $16).
For Zeig, it all began when Sha treated her father. "He had gangrene. Five doctors told him that if he didn't amputate his leg, he'd have three months to live. He refused to have the operation," she said.
Zeig's brother, Jeffrey Zeig, a psychologist, met with Sha during a visit to Phoenix, Ariz. "Master Sha came into our lives and did this healing for my dad," she said. "He didn't seem to do anything, but he was doing a spiritual healing for my father. We taught him how to chant and it was like a miracle. He was in hospice care but lived for another year and a half."
Zeig decided she needed to make a film about Sha. "Literally 10 days later, I was in China with him and a group of 60 students. I just knew that this was something that I had to do. ... It was so clear that there was a movie here."
Friday, October 10, 2008
Saturday, October 04, 2008
Cyril Raffaeli
Kari sent me a video clip of this guy. He's kind of like a young Jackie Chan (or a stuntman for Jackie Chan). Turns out he's a stunt and fight choreographer too and was involved in the Transporter and Transporter 2.
Links also led me to David Belle and Parkour as well as Free Running.
Links also led me to David Belle and Parkour as well as Free Running.
Wednesday, October 01, 2008
Phiten
Phiten Hawaii Co. has seen a surge in demand for its titanium products in the last few years, due largely to word-of-mouth advertising and celebrity endorsements, including star pitcher Randy Johnson of the Arizona Diamondbacks and Paula Radcliffe, the 2007 New York Marathon women's winner.
"Phild Processing," Phiten's patented process for using titanium in items such as fabric and liquids, is a closely guarded secret, which can raise red flags for naysayers. But Paul Vaughn, general manager for Phiten Hawaii, says the proof is in the results.
Vaughn says he invites customers to try a bit of titanium tape on a sore spot. "We'll tell them to shrug their shoulders and say, 'Do you feel that knot?' and they'll say, 'Yes, I've had that for years.'"
After applying a titanium patch, he says, many people can instantly feel the difference.
The "try it" approach and low-pressure sales strategy, combined with the relatively low prices of their best-selling bracelets and necklaces ($6 to $60) make Phiten a low-investment option for those investigating healing alternatives.
"Phild Processing," Phiten's patented process for using titanium in items such as fabric and liquids, is a closely guarded secret, which can raise red flags for naysayers. But Paul Vaughn, general manager for Phiten Hawaii, says the proof is in the results.
Vaughn says he invites customers to try a bit of titanium tape on a sore spot. "We'll tell them to shrug their shoulders and say, 'Do you feel that knot?' and they'll say, 'Yes, I've had that for years.'"
After applying a titanium patch, he says, many people can instantly feel the difference.
The "try it" approach and low-pressure sales strategy, combined with the relatively low prices of their best-selling bracelets and necklaces ($6 to $60) make Phiten a low-investment option for those investigating healing alternatives.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Chinatown Herbal Shops
Ever pass a Chinese herbal medicine shop and wonder what all those bizarre ingredients are? Well, wonder no more. Leon Letoto of Hawaii Healing Garden Festival recently took us on a Chinatown tour to help demystify them.
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Paul Newman
Paul Newman has passed away at 83. The 10-time Academy Award nominee, star of such classics as Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and The Sting, won the Oscar in 1987 for his role in The Color of Money. He also was the recipient of two honorary statues.
The actor's career spanned six decades, including roles in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958), Cool Hand Luke (1967), and Fort Apache: the Bronx (1981). Newman retired from acting in 2007, saying he was no longer able to perform as well as he would like. His most recent work includes his supporting actor Oscar-nominated role in 2002's Road to Perdition, a Tony-winning turn in 2002's Broadway production of Our Town, an Emmy- and Golden Globe-earning performance in the 2005 miniseries Empire Falls, and voicing a character in 2006's Pixar animation feature Cars.
He leaves behind his wife, Oscar-winning actress Joanne Woodward, five children, two grandsons, and his older brother, Arthur.
The actor's career spanned six decades, including roles in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958), Cool Hand Luke (1967), and Fort Apache: the Bronx (1981). Newman retired from acting in 2007, saying he was no longer able to perform as well as he would like. His most recent work includes his supporting actor Oscar-nominated role in 2002's Road to Perdition, a Tony-winning turn in 2002's Broadway production of Our Town, an Emmy- and Golden Globe-earning performance in the 2005 miniseries Empire Falls, and voicing a character in 2006's Pixar animation feature Cars.
He leaves behind his wife, Oscar-winning actress Joanne Woodward, five children, two grandsons, and his older brother, Arthur.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Pandora
While reading that Paul McCartney is about to perform a concert in Israel, I wondered if there was an internet radio station devoted to Beatles music.
There sure is.
Then searching for other music (like Sinatra), I came across Pandora, the music genome project, that lets you create your own radio station.
Beatles, Sinatra, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Michael Buble, Buddy Holly. William Hung didn't turn out too well, but John Stevens came up with a Jane Monheit/Michael Buble duet. Pretty Cool.
[9/25/08] So I'm happily listening to Pandora, then I read that rising royalty rates might shut it down.
[6/12/09] After downloading the VLC Media Player, I see shoutcast radio features a station, S K Y FM that plays Beatles tribute music. Playable on the VLC Media Player and via the link.
[2/2/11] I did a search for Bossa N' Chicago and came to last.fm which seems pretty similar to Pandora.
[3/17/13] Here's another cool music site via frwr_news. http://megazip.com/
Another in the increasingly commercial streaming aggregator sites. They're easy to spot, lots of ads, all music is provided by YouTube and Vimeo and TuneIn and the download function always comes with advertising conditions. Nevertheless it's a decent enough interface with lots of luscious music for playlists and streaming.
There sure is.
Then searching for other music (like Sinatra), I came across Pandora, the music genome project, that lets you create your own radio station.
Beatles, Sinatra, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Michael Buble, Buddy Holly. William Hung didn't turn out too well, but John Stevens came up with a Jane Monheit/Michael Buble duet. Pretty Cool.
[9/25/08] So I'm happily listening to Pandora, then I read that rising royalty rates might shut it down.
[6/12/09] After downloading the VLC Media Player, I see shoutcast radio features a station, S K Y FM that plays Beatles tribute music. Playable on the VLC Media Player and via the link.
[2/2/11] I did a search for Bossa N' Chicago and came to last.fm which seems pretty similar to Pandora.
[3/17/13] Here's another cool music site via frwr_news. http://megazip.com/
Another in the increasingly commercial streaming aggregator sites. They're easy to spot, lots of ads, all music is provided by YouTube and Vimeo and TuneIn and the download function always comes with advertising conditions. Nevertheless it's a decent enough interface with lots of luscious music for playlists and streaming.
You're allowed to search via artist or album (as well as song).
[3/21/13] Now trying spotify since it was mentioned in this article. So far, so good.
[5/2/13] and don't forget grooveshark (mentioned earlier in the blog somewhere -- it's also on my tv page)
[3/21/13] Now trying spotify since it was mentioned in this article. So far, so good.
[5/2/13] and don't forget grooveshark (mentioned earlier in the blog somewhere -- it's also on my tv page)
Wednesday, September 03, 2008
Johnny Cash
[split from Michael Buble post]
[Michael Buble is] now on my short list of music to buy (along with the Johnny Cash tribute albums -- while I wait for TNT to one day replay or otherwise make available their All-Star Tribute).
[9/3/08] I see that Johnny Cash's performances on the TNT Special is on youtube (search for Johnny Cash TNT Special, also on scalos.webs.com).
What's on the Show (viewed on my shaky video tape)
Sheryl Crow and Willie Nelson Jackson/Orange Blossom Special
Jon Voigt speaks
Chris Isaak singing Guess Things Happen That Way / short history / Get Rhythm
John Carter Cash speaks
Willie Nelson - I Still Miss Someone
June Carter Cash Ring of Fire
Bob Dylan Train of Love
Jon Voigt retrospective
Mavericks Man In Black (end of Chris Isaak video)
Kris Kristofferson - Ballad of Ira Hayes
Trisha Yearwood (with Kris) Sunday Morning Coming Down
Larry Gatlin introduces Brooks & Dunn (Ghost)Riders in the Sky
Lyle Lovett - Tennessee Flat Top Box
Bruce Springstein Give My Love To Rose
Emmylou Harris with Mary Chapin Carpenter, Sheryl Crow, and Marty Stuart - Flesh and Blood (comparing to my tape, though it says Kindred Spirits CD, it's actually from the show)
Kevin Bacon retrospective
Wyclef Jean Delia's Gone
Dave Matthews with Emmy Lou Harris - The Long Black Veil
Rosanne Cash - retrospective
Marty Stuart & The Fairfield Four - Belshazzar
U2 Don't Take Your Guns To Town
Tim Robbins introduces Johnny Cash Folsom Prison Blues (he kind of looked like Bill Dana]
Johnny Cash and friends I Walk The Line
(Hey, the tape isn't as bad as I thought, though really jittery at the beginning.)
[11/4/12] Some of the links above are dead. But here's an updated listing from raulmalo.com (thanks!)
[Michael Buble is] now on my short list of music to buy (along with the Johnny Cash tribute albums -- while I wait for TNT to one day replay or otherwise make available their All-Star Tribute).
[9/3/08] I see that Johnny Cash's performances on the TNT Special is on youtube (search for Johnny Cash TNT Special, also on scalos.webs.com).
What's on the Show (viewed on my shaky video tape)
Sheryl Crow and Willie Nelson Jackson/Orange Blossom Special
Jon Voigt speaks
Chris Isaak singing Guess Things Happen That Way / short history / Get Rhythm
John Carter Cash speaks
Willie Nelson - I Still Miss Someone
June Carter Cash Ring of Fire
Bob Dylan Train of Love
Jon Voigt retrospective
Mavericks Man In Black (end of Chris Isaak video)
Kris Kristofferson - Ballad of Ira Hayes
Trisha Yearwood (with Kris) Sunday Morning Coming Down
Larry Gatlin introduces Brooks & Dunn (Ghost)Riders in the Sky
Lyle Lovett - Tennessee Flat Top Box
Bruce Springstein Give My Love To Rose
Emmylou Harris with Mary Chapin Carpenter, Sheryl Crow, and Marty Stuart - Flesh and Blood (comparing to my tape, though it says Kindred Spirits CD, it's actually from the show)
Kevin Bacon retrospective
Wyclef Jean Delia's Gone
Dave Matthews with Emmy Lou Harris - The Long Black Veil
Rosanne Cash - retrospective
Marty Stuart & The Fairfield Four - Belshazzar
U2 Don't Take Your Guns To Town
Tim Robbins introduces Johnny Cash Folsom Prison Blues (he kind of looked like Bill Dana]
Johnny Cash and friends I Walk The Line
(Hey, the tape isn't as bad as I thought, though really jittery at the beginning.)
[11/4/12] Some of the links above are dead. But here's an updated listing from raulmalo.com (thanks!)
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Obama Democratic Convention speech
Surrounded by an enormous, adoring crowd, Barack Obama promised a clean break from the "broken politics in Washington and the failed policies of George W. Bush" Thursday night as he embarked on the final lap of his audacious bid to become the nation's first black president.
"America, now is not the time for small plans," the 47-year-old Illinois senator told an estimated 84,000 people packed into Invesco Field, a huge football stadium at the base of the Rocky Mountains.
Obama delivered his 44-minute nominating acceptance speech in an unrivaled convention setting, before a crowd of unrivaled size _ the filled stadium, the camera flashes in the night, the made-for-television backdrop that suggested the White House, and the thousands of convention delegates seated around the podium in an enormous semicircle.
* * *
McCain campaign responds.
"America, now is not the time for small plans," the 47-year-old Illinois senator told an estimated 84,000 people packed into Invesco Field, a huge football stadium at the base of the Rocky Mountains.
Obama delivered his 44-minute nominating acceptance speech in an unrivaled convention setting, before a crowd of unrivaled size _ the filled stadium, the camera flashes in the night, the made-for-television backdrop that suggested the White House, and the thousands of convention delegates seated around the podium in an enormous semicircle.
* * *
McCain campaign responds.
Monday, August 25, 2008
Ashoka the Great
Who's this Asoka the Great mentioned (in the same breath as Jesus, Buddha, Newton, Gandhi, etc.) by FBG?
Born in 265 B.C, the great king Ashoka was the grandson of the famous ruler Chandragupta Maurya. As a young lad, Ashoka excelled in whatever he was taught. Be it the art of warfare or reading the Holy Scriptures, Asoka excelled in whatever he did. Ashoka had many half brothers and he was loved by one and all. Thus, after his father died, he was crowned as the king of Magadha around 268 B.C. After being crowned as the king, he proved himself by smoothly administrating his territory and performing all his duties as an able and courageous king.
After a period of eight years of being a king, Ashoka planned to seize the territory of Kalinga, the present day Orissa. He led a huge army and fought a gruesome battle with the army of Kalinga. The battle of Kalinga made him pledge to never wage a war again. The battle took place on the Dhauli hills that are located on the banks of River Daya. Though Ashoka emerged victorious at the end, the sight of the battlefield made his heart break with shame, guilt and disgust. It is said that the battle was so furious that the waters of River Daya turned red with the blood of the slain soldiers and civilians.
The sight of numerous corpses lying strewn across the battlefield made his heart wrench. He felt sick inside. The battle ground looked like a graveyard with bodies of not just soldiers but men, women and children. He saw young children crying over the bodies of their dead parents, women crying over the bodies of their dead husbands, mothers crying over the loss of a child. This made him heartbroken and he made a pledge to never ever fight a battle again. To seek solace, he converted to Buddhism. He was so inspired by the teachings of the Buddhist monks and Buddhist philosophies that he used his status to impart this knowledge all over the world. He is credited to be the first Emperor to make a serious attempt at developing Buddhist policies.
Born in 265 B.C, the great king Ashoka was the grandson of the famous ruler Chandragupta Maurya. As a young lad, Ashoka excelled in whatever he was taught. Be it the art of warfare or reading the Holy Scriptures, Asoka excelled in whatever he did. Ashoka had many half brothers and he was loved by one and all. Thus, after his father died, he was crowned as the king of Magadha around 268 B.C. After being crowned as the king, he proved himself by smoothly administrating his territory and performing all his duties as an able and courageous king.
After a period of eight years of being a king, Ashoka planned to seize the territory of Kalinga, the present day Orissa. He led a huge army and fought a gruesome battle with the army of Kalinga. The battle of Kalinga made him pledge to never wage a war again. The battle took place on the Dhauli hills that are located on the banks of River Daya. Though Ashoka emerged victorious at the end, the sight of the battlefield made his heart break with shame, guilt and disgust. It is said that the battle was so furious that the waters of River Daya turned red with the blood of the slain soldiers and civilians.
The sight of numerous corpses lying strewn across the battlefield made his heart wrench. He felt sick inside. The battle ground looked like a graveyard with bodies of not just soldiers but men, women and children. He saw young children crying over the bodies of their dead parents, women crying over the bodies of their dead husbands, mothers crying over the loss of a child. This made him heartbroken and he made a pledge to never ever fight a battle again. To seek solace, he converted to Buddhism. He was so inspired by the teachings of the Buddhist monks and Buddhist philosophies that he used his status to impart this knowledge all over the world. He is credited to be the first Emperor to make a serious attempt at developing Buddhist policies.
Friday, August 22, 2008
Word of Mouth Forums
Online forums are nothing new. Social networking sites are nothing new. And Web sites that combine both purposes are nothing new.
There are locally-focused online gathering places, such as hawaiithreads.com and food and restaurant-focused blogs such as onokinegrindz.com, tastyisland.wordpress.com and the Hawaii Restaurant Association-connected myalohavibe.com.
Many popular Web sites get that way because links get e-mailed around by one person to one or more friends, but very few of those sites -- if any -- get the back up of promotion through a television partnership.
The exception in Hawaii is womf.com, which stands for Word of Mouth Forums, for which KGMB-TV has been running commercials.
WOMF has sites focused on Australia, Namibia, New Zealand and South Africa and now, Hawaii, at hawaii.womf.com.
There are locally-focused online gathering places, such as hawaiithreads.com and food and restaurant-focused blogs such as onokinegrindz.com, tastyisland.wordpress.com and the Hawaii Restaurant Association-connected myalohavibe.com.
Many popular Web sites get that way because links get e-mailed around by one person to one or more friends, but very few of those sites -- if any -- get the back up of promotion through a television partnership.
The exception in Hawaii is womf.com, which stands for Word of Mouth Forums, for which KGMB-TV has been running commercials.
WOMF has sites focused on Australia, Namibia, New Zealand and South Africa and now, Hawaii, at hawaii.womf.com.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
The balcony is closed
Roger Ebert is gone from "At the Movies," but he's an increasingly influential figure in the new dominant realm of film criticism: the Web.
Ebert last week announced he was leaving the long-televised show he began with Gene Siskel -- by its earliest incarnation -- in 1975. The 66-year-old Pulitzer Prize-winning critic hadn't been on the show since 2006, sidelined, if only to a certain extent, by a battle with cancer that has left him unable to speak.
But he's continued to write reviews for the Chicago Sun-Times and this year began blogging on the newspaper's Web site: blogs.sun times.com/ebert. His online musings, labeled a "journal," should be bookmarked by all film buffs.
In an entry last week titled "The Balcony Is Closed," Ebert reminisced about "At the Movies." Most remarkable are his heartfelt memories of working with Siskel, who died of a brain tumor in 1999.
Evidenced by YouTube clips, Ebert explains their both contentious and loving relationship: "Did Gene and I hate each other? Yes. Did we love each other? Yes."
-- Jake Coyle, On The 'Net
Ebert last week announced he was leaving the long-televised show he began with Gene Siskel -- by its earliest incarnation -- in 1975. The 66-year-old Pulitzer Prize-winning critic hadn't been on the show since 2006, sidelined, if only to a certain extent, by a battle with cancer that has left him unable to speak.
But he's continued to write reviews for the Chicago Sun-Times and this year began blogging on the newspaper's Web site: blogs.sun times.com/ebert. His online musings, labeled a "journal," should be bookmarked by all film buffs.
In an entry last week titled "The Balcony Is Closed," Ebert reminisced about "At the Movies." Most remarkable are his heartfelt memories of working with Siskel, who died of a brain tumor in 1999.
Evidenced by YouTube clips, Ebert explains their both contentious and loving relationship: "Did Gene and I hate each other? Yes. Did we love each other? Yes."
-- Jake Coyle, On The 'Net
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
mice in the house
we had noticed a mouse occasionally in the house, but tonight (8/6) they were especially conspicous.
I set up the wire trap I retrieved from Donna's garage and also the little mouse cube I had bought earlier from WalMart and had never caught a thing before.
I also tried constructing a little home made mouse catcher after I did a google search.
A few hours later, I heard the wire trap trip and saw a mouse inside. He tried to wriggle free through the wire mesh but I didn't think he would be able to get through. But when I looked later he was gone!
Set it again. A couple hours later I heard it trip again. The mouse tried to get out, but got stuck halfway. I put the trap in a bag and took it outside. And decided to put it in the trash bin.
Later I heard some noise by the mouse cube and it had caught the other mouse. I decided to leave it in there. But later brought the kitchen trash container in and put the cube inside.
The next day I saw the mouse inside the trash bin and left it there.
The garbage truck came Friday and took it away. Meanwhile, after two days, it was time to dispose of the other one. I called the Humane Society if there was a recommended way to get rid of it and they said I could bring it down to dispose of it. I asked if they were going to kill it and how. And they said they would use some drug (sodium pentathol? which is also used as truth serum.)
I figured I dump somewhere instead. I took out the cube and took a closer look and saw two mice in there. One looked dead, but then I thought I saw movement. I drove up Pali Highway and turned onto Nuuanu Pali Road. Finally I saw a spot next to the watershed and dumped the cube. Sure enough, one was dead, but the other scurried away into the forest (ostensibly joining the guinea pigs).
Since I was there, I figured I would visit Pali Lookout before going home.
*** [6/23/12] More mice in the house the last couple of months. Caught a couple in the mouse cube. But one of them seemed to be avoiding the trap. So I bought one of those wire cage traps from Longs Kam Shopping Center (that's the only place I've seen it recently). It caught a mouse, but then I saw it was trying to squeeze through the wire mesh. It went about halfway through and got stuck.
Took him (her?) up Nuuanu and took out the cage and it was still stuck. After a while, it finally wriggled free. The next one stuck in the case I guess was a little bigger and didn't get stuck in the mesh.
I saw it still had the piece of salami on the wire and left the cage open downstairs in the garage. Then I saw a rat in there (about a week ago). It must have been a couple of days since the rat was dead and I tossed in the trash.
Now I've been seeing some droppings in the DVD drawer under the TV in the patio. And I saw the mouse a couple of times. I put the mouse cube in there with a piece of salami stuck to the back of the cube. It's been a few days and so far no mouse.
*** [7/7/12]
Caught a few more mice. About two more in the mouse cube and two more I think in the wire cage. Even caught a rat when I left the cage in the garage. And discovered the cage closed and a dead rat inside. [see above]
Now I'm working on a particularly stubborn one. It's not going into the cube. And when I bait the cage, it's able to take the bait without the door closing.
Then I tried something else. Putting the bait in the cage with the door closed. But somehow the bait disappears that way too. The mouse must be going through the opening in the top.
So I put the bait (I'm currently using Kirkland dog food) toward the end of the cage so the mouse would have to go all the way in the cage before exiting. Nope that didn't work.
Tonight I tried this to see what was happening. I pushed a kibble inside the cage and left one on top of the opening blocking the entrance. If the inside kibble is gone with one on the top still there, then it would be likely that the mouse (or whatever) is getting the inside bait by squeezing through the opening in the cage.
But both were gone, so I think the mouse is going through the top, then inside, then back through the opening.
Try again. I'll push the prongs closer together to make it hard for the mouse to squeeze through. If only the top one is gone, then I'll know the mouse wasn't able to squeeze in from the top. Stay tuned.
... That was fast. The top kibble is gone, but the inside one is still there. Maybe try to bait the lever again..
Let me try this first. Put a kibble under the mouse cube door leaving it ajar. Hopefully (for me) that will bring the mouse to the kibble and then inside the cube.
... Nope took the kibble by the door but didn't go inside.
Meanwhile, I baited the lever with a piece of sandwich meat and put kibble inside the cage. Took all the kibble, left the sandwich meat alone. Smart SOB.
[7/8/12 4:40 PM] OK, lost another piece of kibble (I was going to stay awake and watch the trap, but I fell asleep). Here's my latest idea. How about threading the kibble and tying it to the lever? Step one went well. The needle went through the kibble without it crumbling. Then loop the thread around the lever. That way when the mouse pulls the kibble, it should pull the lever and drop the door.
That is assuming the mouse pulls the lever and not eat it. And pulls it enough to trip the door...
[7/8/12 6:09 PM] The mouse took the bait. The kibble is gone. The thread is gone. The door still open. Damn! 8) I'm losing a battle of wits!
And later, the pastrami on the wire is gone too. With the door still open. Wow, this mouse is good.
[7/9/12 early AM] Success! I took the uneaten bait from the mouse cube (bread with nutella, etc.) and put it in the wire cage with the door closed. I wasn't expecting it but when I checked, the mouse was in the cage. Well, actually it was partly out with its head squeezing out through the mesh. Poor guy.
I tipped the cage on its side so that the mouse would have to go up to go out. And went off to the Pali. When I got to my destination, the mouse was back in the cage. I opened the door and the mouse scampered under a large leaf. The leaf was right in front of my car, so I lifted up the leave and the mouse scampered across the street to the island between the road and the freeway. I was hoping it would have gone the other way, but it's a decent sized area and maybe it might scamper back who knows. The main thing is that it's finally out of the house.
We'll see if there's any more.. This is probably like the sixth or seventh mouse. Plus the dead rat. I kind of lost track already.
[7/13/12] One more. I put the Kirkland kibble in and on the trap. And this time I shoved a kibble right onto the wire inside the trap. And it worked without breaking up kibble into pieces. This afternoon, the trap triggered and I took the mouse to the Pali.
a couple of hours later... damn, there's another one! :(
[7/15/12 Sunday] Dinner time. Christie saw the mouse. It went in the open cage. I went over to trip the lever to bring the door down just as the mouse was running out. The door shut right on the mouse. Ouch. I raised the door and the mouse was wiggling on the carpet. [Poor thing. I wasn't trying to kill it or even injure it.] When over to get a napkin to put the mouse in the cage. And went outside to dump the mouse over the fence (by the entrance of the storm drain). Don't know if the mouse ever recovered, but when I looked the next day (or two), I didn't see the mouse. This was not only a traumatic experience for the mouse, but also for Christie who couldn't eat the lau lau because it now tasted like mouse. I'm writing this five days later (Friday a.m.) and no sign of another mouse (yet).
I set up the wire trap I retrieved from Donna's garage and also the little mouse cube I had bought earlier from WalMart and had never caught a thing before.
I also tried constructing a little home made mouse catcher after I did a google search.
A few hours later, I heard the wire trap trip and saw a mouse inside. He tried to wriggle free through the wire mesh but I didn't think he would be able to get through. But when I looked later he was gone!
Set it again. A couple hours later I heard it trip again. The mouse tried to get out, but got stuck halfway. I put the trap in a bag and took it outside. And decided to put it in the trash bin.
Later I heard some noise by the mouse cube and it had caught the other mouse. I decided to leave it in there. But later brought the kitchen trash container in and put the cube inside.
The next day I saw the mouse inside the trash bin and left it there.
The garbage truck came Friday and took it away. Meanwhile, after two days, it was time to dispose of the other one. I called the Humane Society if there was a recommended way to get rid of it and they said I could bring it down to dispose of it. I asked if they were going to kill it and how. And they said they would use some drug (sodium pentathol? which is also used as truth serum.)
I figured I dump somewhere instead. I took out the cube and took a closer look and saw two mice in there. One looked dead, but then I thought I saw movement. I drove up Pali Highway and turned onto Nuuanu Pali Road. Finally I saw a spot next to the watershed and dumped the cube. Sure enough, one was dead, but the other scurried away into the forest (ostensibly joining the guinea pigs).
Since I was there, I figured I would visit Pali Lookout before going home.
*** [6/23/12] More mice in the house the last couple of months. Caught a couple in the mouse cube. But one of them seemed to be avoiding the trap. So I bought one of those wire cage traps from Longs Kam Shopping Center (that's the only place I've seen it recently). It caught a mouse, but then I saw it was trying to squeeze through the wire mesh. It went about halfway through and got stuck.
Took him (her?) up Nuuanu and took out the cage and it was still stuck. After a while, it finally wriggled free. The next one stuck in the case I guess was a little bigger and didn't get stuck in the mesh.
I saw it still had the piece of salami on the wire and left the cage open downstairs in the garage. Then I saw a rat in there (about a week ago). It must have been a couple of days since the rat was dead and I tossed in the trash.
Now I've been seeing some droppings in the DVD drawer under the TV in the patio. And I saw the mouse a couple of times. I put the mouse cube in there with a piece of salami stuck to the back of the cube. It's been a few days and so far no mouse.
*** [7/7/12]
Caught a few more mice. About two more in the mouse cube and two more I think in the wire cage. Even caught a rat when I left the cage in the garage. And discovered the cage closed and a dead rat inside. [see above]
Now I'm working on a particularly stubborn one. It's not going into the cube. And when I bait the cage, it's able to take the bait without the door closing.
Then I tried something else. Putting the bait in the cage with the door closed. But somehow the bait disappears that way too. The mouse must be going through the opening in the top.
So I put the bait (I'm currently using Kirkland dog food) toward the end of the cage so the mouse would have to go all the way in the cage before exiting. Nope that didn't work.
Tonight I tried this to see what was happening. I pushed a kibble inside the cage and left one on top of the opening blocking the entrance. If the inside kibble is gone with one on the top still there, then it would be likely that the mouse (or whatever) is getting the inside bait by squeezing through the opening in the cage.
But both were gone, so I think the mouse is going through the top, then inside, then back through the opening.
Try again. I'll push the prongs closer together to make it hard for the mouse to squeeze through. If only the top one is gone, then I'll know the mouse wasn't able to squeeze in from the top. Stay tuned.
... That was fast. The top kibble is gone, but the inside one is still there. Maybe try to bait the lever again..
Let me try this first. Put a kibble under the mouse cube door leaving it ajar. Hopefully (for me) that will bring the mouse to the kibble and then inside the cube.
... Nope took the kibble by the door but didn't go inside.
Meanwhile, I baited the lever with a piece of sandwich meat and put kibble inside the cage. Took all the kibble, left the sandwich meat alone. Smart SOB.
[7/8/12 4:40 PM] OK, lost another piece of kibble (I was going to stay awake and watch the trap, but I fell asleep). Here's my latest idea. How about threading the kibble and tying it to the lever? Step one went well. The needle went through the kibble without it crumbling. Then loop the thread around the lever. That way when the mouse pulls the kibble, it should pull the lever and drop the door.
That is assuming the mouse pulls the lever and not eat it. And pulls it enough to trip the door...
[7/8/12 6:09 PM] The mouse took the bait. The kibble is gone. The thread is gone. The door still open. Damn! 8) I'm losing a battle of wits!
And later, the pastrami on the wire is gone too. With the door still open. Wow, this mouse is good.
[7/9/12 early AM] Success! I took the uneaten bait from the mouse cube (bread with nutella, etc.) and put it in the wire cage with the door closed. I wasn't expecting it but when I checked, the mouse was in the cage. Well, actually it was partly out with its head squeezing out through the mesh. Poor guy.
I tipped the cage on its side so that the mouse would have to go up to go out. And went off to the Pali. When I got to my destination, the mouse was back in the cage. I opened the door and the mouse scampered under a large leaf. The leaf was right in front of my car, so I lifted up the leave and the mouse scampered across the street to the island between the road and the freeway. I was hoping it would have gone the other way, but it's a decent sized area and maybe it might scamper back who knows. The main thing is that it's finally out of the house.
We'll see if there's any more.. This is probably like the sixth or seventh mouse. Plus the dead rat. I kind of lost track already.
[7/13/12] One more. I put the Kirkland kibble in and on the trap. And this time I shoved a kibble right onto the wire inside the trap. And it worked without breaking up kibble into pieces. This afternoon, the trap triggered and I took the mouse to the Pali.
a couple of hours later... damn, there's another one! :(
[7/15/12 Sunday] Dinner time. Christie saw the mouse. It went in the open cage. I went over to trip the lever to bring the door down just as the mouse was running out. The door shut right on the mouse. Ouch. I raised the door and the mouse was wiggling on the carpet. [Poor thing. I wasn't trying to kill it or even injure it.] When over to get a napkin to put the mouse in the cage. And went outside to dump the mouse over the fence (by the entrance of the storm drain). Don't know if the mouse ever recovered, but when I looked the next day (or two), I didn't see the mouse. This was not only a traumatic experience for the mouse, but also for Christie who couldn't eat the lau lau because it now tasted like mouse. I'm writing this five days later (Friday a.m.) and no sign of another mouse (yet).
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