長庚養生文化村能提供什麼給老年人

 ◎養生文文化村村友 蔡盛通 

位於桃園縣龜山鄉一處四週青蔥翠綠的小山區，台塑的長庚養生文化村屹立在那裡，它是臺灣絕無僅有的一座老年人樂園，很多人以為那是一座普普通通的養老院，大大地辜負了經營之神王永慶先生的好意，可惜啊！可惜啊！
  當試圖要住進去的時候，那些親朋好友沒有一個是贊成的，他們當然是為我好，不想看到我居然棄華屋而去住「老人院！」因為在他們的心目中，可能以為那必定是一間充塞著行動不便老人的安養機構。事實上完全不是那麼一回事，差別實在太大了，請想一想，以台塑集團王永慶先生的財力和理念，他辦的養生文化村、他「送」給老人的「禮物」會是那個樣子嗎？
  百聞不如一見，決定和內人去試住幾天，探探虛實。照一般世俗的想法：「我大爺付錢，到你們那兒試住幾天，你們應該歡迎得不得了吧！」對不起，歡迎是很歡迎，但必須先通過工作人員的慧眼「瞧一瞧！」再來個簡單的智力測驗，以確定生活是否可以自理。如果想正式住進去，還必須通過醫院的健康檢查後才可入住，這就是養生文化村第一個不同於一般養老院或養護中心的地方，所以在村內遇到有些村友們的打扮還時髦得很呢！
  話說我們通過檢測獲准試住，我們選的是二十 二坪 左右的房間，共有一房二廳一衛一廚（廚房可簡單烹煮）和洗晒衣間。除光線好與空氣好外，房間外的走道寬到可以行駛一部卡車！進到住房像進入五星級旅館，所有用品一應俱全，而窗子外面就是搖曳生姿的綠樹，這種情景至少是三十年以前記憶中的往事了。在住房裡少不了東看看西看看，馬桶是免治的（便後可用溫水沖洗肛門，有助改善其局部血液循環，減輕痔瘡症狀及增加排便順暢。）淋浴的排水居然是一長條小水溝，上面有平整的不鏽鋼網狀蓋，所以整個浴室雖然是平面的，淋浴水卻不會流到洗臉臺和馬桶那一半的地面上去，浴室四週都有扶手且有兩個緊急按鈕，用以應付老人在浴室最有可能發生的緊急事件。
  臥房不算大但很精緻，陽台的落地窗隨你採取要和大自然接觸或區隔。若真的去住五星級旅館，你住得起二十坪 大的房間嗎？在這裡，如果一個人長住約 22 坪的房間，每月平均只要 26000元，兩個人合住也只要 31000元，如果節省一點住十 四坪 大小的房間，一個人每月平均只要 18000元，兩個人合住為23000元（實際費用依各房間坪數大小計算）。有人會說這個價錢在市區可以租一層公寓，在鄉下則可以租一棟大房子，這倒是真的，那麼你要和下一代一起住嗎？這樣子你真的可以自由自在含飴弄孫嗎？真是這樣的情景嗎；要是兩個老人單獨住呢，你們會安全嗎？你們兩個老人誰去買菜，離菜市場有多遠？由誰洗菜煮飯？每餐你要煮四菜一湯嗎？還是煮一大鍋菜吃三天！然後誰去洗碗刷鍋？
 對個人而言，想住養生文化村的原因之一，是個人不喜歡去市場買菜，開車去太近，走路去又太遠！另不喜歡洗菜，煮菜、煮飯則偶而玩票一下可以，天天煮則實在受不了，尤其不喜歡洗碗刷鍋，處理剩菜。既然自己不喜歡做這些雜事，當然也不希望讓老伴去做這些事，她又不是我的傭人，到了這古稀之年還要老伴為三餐而忙，實在說不過去，而且如果我在短期內去天國倒也罷了，問題是我可能再活二十年！那怎麼辦！住到養生文化村，就能解決這個三餐的大問題。
 這裡餐廳的格局有點像大學中的學生餐廳，但長桌乾乾淨淨，座位寬大。三餐中的早餐有豆漿、饅頭、稀飯、小菜；中餐最豐富，至少有十六道以上葷素可以自由選擇，青菜都比較少油、少鹽，肉則品質和鮮度均甚佳，味道鮮美不輸一般家庭中的家常菜；此外午、晚二餐還有麵食可選；晚餐菜色比較中餐要簡單一些，那對老年人是好的。吃完飯，嘴一抹，把盤子放在架子上，就可以像詩人一樣出去散步看夕陽！對了，這裡的伙食費包月是四千元，吃得少或想節省一些，可以不包月而每餐付現金即可。
  漫步在養生文化村 健康跟著走
當每次步行到餐廳時，估計一下住在這棟超大建築中的老年人，從房間到餐廳平均要走約七、八十公尺的路，吃個飯要走這麼遠這太辛苦了吧！你錯了，如果每個老年人為吃三餐‧一天內往返六次，在室內走約五百公尺；而刮風下雨天在走廊散個步，至少可以走三十分鐘而不會重複，夠大了吧！散步帶來的健康，會使很多醫生失業！
  試住的第二天下午，我們到這棟可以住七百多家的大建築去「探險」！我們發現每家窗外大都是青山綠樹，和對面的住家至少相距三十公尺以上，所以隱私和噪音（這裡的噪音只有你家中的電視機聲或空調的室外機聲而已）遠比一般住宅好太多，每一層樓的轉角處都有大公共交誼廳，供住在村內的人閒坐、看報、看藍天白雲、相對無語，或相對鬥嘴 …。「大缺點」是聞不到「煙味」和「檳榔味」，哈！哈！你喜歡聞那種味道嗎？
  養生育樂城堡 晚年不寂寞
此外我們發現有一個大房間是供基督徒敬拜集會用的（當然有鋼琴）；一座清香古燈的佛堂；一間大閱覽室有很多人在閱讀；一間很大的麻將室有五、六組人馬正在作「手腦運動」；此外還有桌球室，撞球室、投資資訊室、健身房、電腦教室、四間卡拉 OK 室等提供老人家使用，這裡的設施都是免費的，而且每間都有空調！這麼多活動場所儼然是一座自給自足的城堡，即使現在的豪宅群也不一定可以和它相比！
 晚餐後，我們換了運動裝到旁邊去爬山，它只離住處約三十公尺左右的距離，這裡沒人遛狗，沒有噪音，更沒有攤販，有的只是滿眼清新柔和的青山。如想鍛練腿力，另有拾級而上的木棧道梯階供你奮鬥。這半座山整理和維護之好，只有這個養生文化村的興建者才有這個大魄力和財力！住在這裡如果傍晚只是在家中盯著電視而不去享受這大自然和人工匯集的詩情畫意，就好像擁有一幅價值連城的名畫而以為是壁紙，太可惜了！難以想像的是半山處居然有一個區塊可以供居住者種種花或菜，那澆水怎麼辦，要老人家從山下挑水上去嗎？絕對不必，因為附近都有水龍頭而且水壓很大；可是種菜種花總不能用手吧？帶著工具上山再下山多麼不方便，嘿！嘿！旁邊的小屋內有小櫃供你免費使用！還有更絕的，山&a mp;l t;/ B>& lt; B> 上竟有二座比市區任何公廁都要清潔的高級 WC，老人家們運動爬山還有什麼不滿意的！這種待遇如果你住在家中，那大概只有夢境中才可能會有！我們爬到山頂一處眺望臺剛好趕上欣賞夕陽下山之美，然後我們選擇一條用長方木條的木棧步道下山，回到房間洗了個淋浴，全身舒暢無比，這那裡是「試住」，簡直是歡渡白金假期！
  經營之神的養生遠見
傍晚十點左右，我躺在不硬也不軟的床上，窗外居然有遠處傳來的蟲鳴聲，想到這幾天的試住，不得不調整對大企業家的看法，他們就像昔日歐洲的貴族，由於他們的贊助和支持的藝術家，留下了多少不朽的優美樂章和芭蕾舞劇！而今這位年紀比我還大二十歲的王老先生，竟有這樣嘉惠老年人的大手筆企劃和實踐。雖然當面見不到他，但崇敬之心油然而生，願他長壽健康！
 忽然之間思考到了一個大問題，將來住到養生文化村後，歲月不饒人，也不可能是金剛不壞之身，有個病痛這麼辦？雖然我現在是住在某大醫院旁不到一百公尺，但總覺得掛號和就診都是麻煩事，常常一拖再拖，還好都是些小病。在這裡第二天詢問以後才知道，村內的護理人員依我們的身體不適的症狀協助掛號，最近的看診處就在離百公尺左右的「護理之家」或在大門口平均二十分鐘一班的交通車，到只有八分鐘車程的長庚桃園分院。看完診，拿完藥，村內護理人員還會用藥指導，不時提醒服藥，這對老年人來說，除了你有財力自己開個醫院外，應該是非常方便的了。唉！老年人怎麼不知道來這個好地方？
  銀髮養生樂園
那麼工作人員呢？他們不嫌厭那些老年人嗎？這點你放心，他們是從內心發出的真誠替你服務，他們的笑容像是對自己的祖父母般認真，說話不亢不卑、不疾不徐又有耐心，最後一晚我去村內 7-11 買三包三合一咖啡，每包 18 元，居然優待2 元成為 16 元一包，我竟傻傻地問為什麼？得到的回答是店員輕柔和緩的說：「因為你是長者！」老天！一路走回房間時，我竟忍不住熱淚盈眶！
  等我處理好一切家務事和身外雜事，我必堅定地走向這個養生文化村直到大限之日，說不定我在那裡還可以寫出些優美的樂章來，只有一件事可以阻止我的決心，那就是忽然我變成失智，哈哈！
朋友！我懇請你把這封信努力發送出去，讓更多的老人能去享受大企業家給他們建立的晚年養生樂園，做子女的千萬別以為將雙親送去那裡是不孝。老年人也不要以為子女將你送去是不要你了，絕不是被拋棄！去那裡是去享受天年！

老婆遲了一個月 VS. 台電收費員

一天,老婆對老公說:Baby,我那個已經遲了一個月了,會不會是懷孕了...

老公說: 親愛的,先別著急,過幾天我們去看了醫生再說.

第二天台電的員工上門來催繳:

"小姐,你已經遲了一個月了....,請趕快處理,不然會讓我們很難做."

老婆驚叫道:

"什麼,我遲一個月連台電都知道了?"

台電員工不屑的說:

"這有什麼好奇怪的,現在已經是網路時代啦,我們只要線上一查就知道了,沒有不能說的秘密"

老婆已經歇斯底里了:"Oh My God,線上就能查到?"

第三天

老公! 聽了老婆的敘述決定要去台電找他們經理理論:

"你們吃飽了太閑就對了!我老婆遲一個月你們也要查是怎樣,信不信我去找律師告你們去"

台電經理:

"請您先別生氣,慢慢聽我說,其實要銷掉也很簡單阿,只要繳錢就可以了"

老公更生氣了:

"幹,還要伶北給錢?伶北沒錢,怎樣?"

台電經理面露難色,心想這顧客可真難對付:

"那....那說不得也只好切掉你的....."

老公這下緊張了:

"啊?你要切掉我的?那我以後用什麼?"

台電經理安慰道:

"你可以用蠟燭代替......"

A Woman's Poem

He didn't like my casserole.  

He didn't like my cake. 

 

He said my biscuits were too hard.  

Not like his mother used to make.

I didn't perk the coffee right.  

He didn't like the stew.

I didn't mend his socks the way his mother used to do.

I pondered for an answer, I was looking for a clue.

Then I turned around and smacked the crap out of him . . .

Like his mother used to do.

我想成为坐在路边鼓掌的人

转自 豆瓣

我那上国中的女儿，她同学都管叫她23号。

她的班上总共有50个人，而每次考试，女儿都排名23。

久而久之，便有了这个雅号，她也就成了名副其实的中等生。

我们觉得这外号刺耳，女儿却欣然接受。

老公发愁地说，一碰到公司活动，或者老同学聚会，

别人都对自家的'小超人'赞不绝口，他却只能扮深沉。

人家的孩子，不仅成绩出类拔萃，而且特长多多。

唯有我们家的23号女生，没有一样值得炫耀的地方。

因此，他一看到娱乐节目那些才艺非凡的孩子，就羡慕得两眼放光。

后来，看到一则九岁孩子上大学的报导，他很受伤地问女儿：

『孩子，妳怎么就不是个神童呢？』

女儿说：

『因为我爸爸不是神父啊!』

老公无言以对，我不禁笑出声来。

中秋节，亲友相聚，坐满了一个宽大的包厢。

众人的话题，也渐渐转向各家的小儿女。

趁着酒兴，要孩子们说说将来要做什么?

钢琴家，明星，政界要人，孩子们毫不怯场，

连那个四岁半的女孩，也会说将来要做电视的主持人，赢得一阵赞叹!

15岁的女儿，正为身边的小弟弟小妹妹剔蟹剥虾，盛汤揩嘴，忙得不亦乐乎。

大家忽然想起，只剩她没说了。在众人的催促下，她认真地回答： 『长大了，我的第一志

愿是，当幼儿园老师，领着孩子们唱歌跳舞，做游戏。』

众人礼貌地表示赞许，

紧接着追问她的第二志愿。她大大方方地说：

『我想做妈妈，穿着印叮当猫的围裙，在厨房做晚餐，

然后给我的孩子讲故事，领着他在阳台上看星星。』

亲友愕然，面面相觑，不知道该说些什么。

老公的神情，极为尴尬。

回家后，他叹着气说：

『你还真打算让女儿将来当个幼儿园老师？我们难道真的眼睁睁地看着她当中等生？』

其实，我们也动过很多脑筋。为提高她的学习成绩，

请家教，报辅导班，买各种各样的资料。

孩子也蛮懂事，漫画书不看了，剪纸班退出了，周末的懒觉放弃了。

像一只疲惫的小鸟，她从一个班赶到另一个班，卷子，练习册，一沓沓地做。

但到底是个孩子，身体先扛不住了，得了重感冒。

吊着点滴，在病床上，她还坚持写作业，最后引发了肺炎。

病好后，孩子的脸小了一圈。

可期末考试的成绩，仍然是让我们哭笑不得的23名。

后来，我们也曾试过增加营养、物质激励等等，

几次三番地折腾下来，女儿的小脸越来越苍白。

而且，一说要考试，她就开始厌食，失眠，冒虚汗，

再接着，考出了令我们瞠目结舌的33名。

我和老公，悄无声息地放弃了轰轰烈烈的揠苗助长活动。

恢复了她正常的作息时间，还给她画漫画的权利，

允许她继续订《儿童幽默》之类的书报，家中安稳了很久。

我们对女儿，是心疼的，可面对她的成绩，又有说不出的困惑。

周末，一群同事结伴郊游。大家各自做了最拿手的菜，带着老公和孩子去野餐。

一路上笑语盈盈，这家孩子唱歌，那家孩子表演小品。

女儿没什么看家本领，只是开心地不停鼓掌。

她不时跑到后面，照看着那些食物。

把倾斜的饭盒摆好，松了的瓶盖拧紧，流出的菜汁擦净。

忙忙碌碌，像个细心的小管家。

野餐的时候，发生了一件意外的事。

两个小男孩，一个数理天才，一个英语高手，

两人同时夹住盘子上的一块糯米饼，谁也不肯放手，更不愿平分。

丰盛的美食，源源不断地摆上来，他们看都不看。

大人们又笑又叹，连劝带哄，可怎么都不管用。

最后，还是女儿，用掷硬币的方法，轻松地打破了这个僵局。

回来的路上，堵车，一些孩子焦躁起来。

女儿的笑话一个接一个，全车人都被逗乐了。

她手底下也没闲着，用装食品的彩色纸盒，

剪出许多小动物，引得这群孩子赞叹不已。

直到下车，每个人都拿到了自己的生肖剪纸。

听到孩子们连连道谢，老公禁不住露出了自豪的微笑。

期中考试后，我接到了女儿班主任的电话。

首先得知，女儿的成绩，仍是中等。

不过，他说：

『有一件奇怪的事想告诉我，他从教三十年了，第一次遇见这种事。

语文试卷上有一道附加题：你最欣赏班上的哪位同学，请说出理由。

除女儿之外，全班同学，竟然都写上了女儿的名字。

理由很多：热心助人，守信用，不爱生气，好相处等等，写得最多的是，乐观幽默。』

班主任还说：『很多同学建议，由她来担任班长。』

他感叹道：『你这个女儿，虽说成绩普通，可是做人，实在很优秀!』

我开玩笑地对女儿说：『妳快要成为英雄了。』

正在织围巾的女儿，歪着头想了想，认真地告诉我说：

『老师曾讲过一句格言：当英雄路过的时候，总要有人坐在路边鼓掌....。』

她轻轻地说：『妈妈，我不想成为英雄，我想成为坐在路边鼓掌的人。』

我猛地一震，默默地打量着她。

她安静地织着绒线，淡粉的线，在竹针上缠缠绕绕，

仿佛一寸一寸的光阴，在她手上，吐出星星点点的花蕾。

我心上，竟是蓦地一暖。

那一刻，我忽然被这个不想成为英雄的女孩打动了。

这世间，有多少人，年少时渴望成为英雄，最终却成了烟火红尘中的平凡人。

如果健康，如果快乐，如果，没有违背自己的心意，

我们的孩子，又何妨做一个善良的普通人。

长大成人后，她一定会成为：贤淑的妻子，温柔的母亲，甚至，热心的同事，和善的邻居。

何况她是班上50名之中的23名，我们还不庆幸，还不满足?

还想要更高人一等，更出人头地!那后面还有27名半数以上的孩子呢﹖如果我是她们的父母

，我要如何自处呢﹖

在那些漫长的岁月，她都能安然地过着自己想要的生活；

她又没学坏，我作为身教言教的父母，

能教养孩子长大成人，并成为社会上有用的人，就可告慰先祖，

还想为孩子祈求怎样更美好的未来？

就算她将来能当上司法官，能考上建筑师，若她心术不正，口是心非，那又有何用？

另：想起爸爸对我说过的话。“我不希望你成才，我只希望你能够成人。”我一直记在心里。

Divorce Letters - Joke

Dear wife:
I'm writing you this letter to tell you that I'm leaving you forever. I've been a good man to you for 7 years and I have nothing to show for it.
These last 2 weeks have been hell. Your boss called to tell me that you quit your job today and that was the last straw.
Last week, you came home and didn't even notice I had a new haircut, had cooked your favorite meal and even wore a brand new pair of silk boxers.
You ate in 2 minutes, & went straight to sleep after watching all of your soaps. You don't tell me you love me anymore. You don't want sex or anything that connects us as husband and wife.
Either you're cheating on me or you don't love me anymore. Whatever the Case, I'm gone.
Your EX-Husband

P.S. don't try to find me. Your sister and I are moving away to West Virginia together! Have a great day.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Dear Ex-Husband
Nothing has made my day more than receiving your letter. It's true you and I have been married for 7 years, although a good man is a far cry from what you've been.
I watch my soaps so much because they drown out your constant whining and griping. Too bad that doesn't work.
I did notice your hair cut last week, but the first thing that came to mind was 'You look just like a girl!' Since my mother raised me not to say anything if you can't say something nice, I didn't comment.
When you cooked my favorite meal, you must have gotten me confused with my sister because I stopped eating pork 7 years ago.
About those new silk boxers, I turned away from you because the $49.99 price tag was still on them and I prayed it was a coincidence that my sister had borrowed $50.00 from me that morning.
After all of this, I still loved you and felt we could work it out. So when I hit the lotto for $10 million, I quit my job and bought us 2 tickets to Jamaica. But when I got home, you were gone.
Everything happens for a reason, I guess. I hope you have the fulfilling life you always wanted.
My lawyer said that the letter you wrote ensures you won't get a dime from me. So take care.

Signed, Your Ex-Wife, Rich As Hell & .....Free!

P.S. I don't know if I ever told you this, but my sister Carla was born Carl. I hope that's not a problem.

DIY 烤出專業級香噴噴地瓜

很長一段時間了，專家們推薦食用地瓜養身、排毒、甚至防癌...好處多多，可是簡便蒸熟(大同電鍋)的地瓜實在不怎麼好吃，購買攤販售的烤地瓜又很貴，所以我特地查了Yahoo知識，試出一個簡單就能烤出! 好! 吃地瓜的方法，推薦給大家。

步驟一：把地瓜洗淨後放進冰箱冷凍庫，凍45分鐘。

步驟二：將冷凍後地瓜放進烤箱(200度)，烤30分鐘。

叮！這樣就有香噴噴專業級地瓜出爐囉！

專家說~~~
『因為蕃薯冷凍後內水份子變大，破壞纖維密度，並將空氣擠壓，
熱傳導加速，可以節省60﹪的烤薯時間，內外熟食度也比較柔軟均勻喔！』


通常購買時會選擇小的或長條型的地瓜，因為家裡是小烤箱，這樣比較不怕高度太高容易烤焦喔！

分享今天的成品~
烤出的地瓜，皮與肉已剝離，撕開外皮後，會有一層QQ的表皮，

偶帶焦香，偶帶蜜。

One of the Sad Kings

Many exiled monarchs has scattered around in Europe and the U.S, for example, the son of late Shah of Iran in U.S., King Constantine II of Greece in London (the King fled his country in 1967), King Michael of Romania , and King Fouad of Egypt in Switzerland.

Those unfortunate kings all have their share of sad stories; they don’t have the same glorious life as their ancestors did. Have they done something wrong? Not really, this is what we have called ‘the fate”. Let us first glance over what has happened to the King of Egypt – Ahmed Fuad II.

Ahmed Fuad II, the last king of Egypt, was born on January 16, 1952. In July 1952, the young Fuad boarded the royal yacht with his parents and three half sisters as they fled the country during Egyptian Revolution. He ascended the throne on the boat while he was in the arms of his nanny. He reigned for less than a year until June 18, 1953. King Fuad II was Egypt and Sudan's last monarch and the last of the Muhammad Ali Dynasty, which had ruled since 1805. His short reign ended when Egypt was declared a republic on June 18, 1953.

Fuad’s mother, Queen Narriman, divorced with Farouk and returned to Egypt in 1953. Farouk then settled in Italy, and placed his children in a small Swiss village with aides – an English nanny, a French governess and an Albanian bodyguard- to look after them. Fuad only saw his father a few times a year. He attended a public school in the village, studying with children of vineyard workers. While no one at home ever talked about him being the king, other kids at school would tease him. Later, Fuad was sent to Le Rosey, an elite Swiss boarding school.

In 1965, Farouk died suddenly in Rome. Fuad was 13 and shattered. As a young adult, Fuad spent winter in Gstaad and summers in Monte Carlo, where Prince Rainier of Monaco befriended him. As he grew older, he wrestled with a broken marriage, a lack of steady work and bouts of depression. He was divorced two decades ago and had three children from the marriage.

Fuad is sensitive to charges that his father walked away with massive treasures. Fuad says he receives financial help from Middle Eastern royals and remains especially grateful to the Saudis. His half sisters were all working women. One was an interpreter; another helped her husband run a hotel, a third worked as a translator. He says he has a job as a consultant and has had trouble to paying the mortgage.

In recent years, Fuad lived in a small flat in s middle-class apartment complex outside of Geneva. He grew profoundly depressed as one by one his three sisters died. His mother also died. Now he is alone.

“Grade A” Stamps on Eggs

What does “Grade A” on the egg carton mean to you? Do you think it means the eggs have been checked, and it’s a quality seal? No, the mark on the carton just means that the U.S. Department of Agriculture had a “grader” at an egg-packing facility who checked the eggs’ size and color and made sure the shells weren’t cracked, a USDA official said. The USDA officials have stressed that ensuring egg safety is not their job. Then whose responsibility is it? The answer is “FDA.”

The egg shield comes from USDA marketing side. Egg makers don’t need to stamp the shield on their carton, but the stamp can help them charge more for their products.

USDA is responsible the safety of the meat, not egg. The seal, which USDA provides, will give consumers certain assurances:

1. No white eggs slip into a carton of brown eggs
2. No regular size eggs are classified as extra large
3. None of the eggs are cracked
4. Grade A is the most familiar kind to consumers
5. Grade B eggs can be slightly stained or misshapen
6. Grade AA eggs have the smallest air cell inside the egg

TIPS (Excerpt from WSJ)

What are TIPS? TIPS are the acronym for Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities. TIPS are U.S. government bonds whose principal and yield are linked to changes in the consumer-price index.

If inflation appears, a TIPS investor receives a larger payout than a holder of a comparable Treasury with a set of coupon. The downside is that falling prices mean smaller payments, even if an investor’s principal is guarnteed.

美國人越來越窮了

美國人的荷包越來越緊了! 原來經濟學家預期美國經濟這一季會復甦. 結果, 歐洲的幾個窮國經濟問題百出 , BP煉油廠在 Gulf of Mexico海底漏油, 出了大紕漏. 就業機會僅僅祇增加了 41,000 工作及其他世界各國的種種問題. 弄得股票市場跌得慘不忍睹. 股票市場跌, 市井小民不安 .導致了五月美國零售業下滑了 1.2%. 這一年來, 由於汽車及建築業的不景氣, 已經使得美國零售業大幅度的下滑. 目前的情況也祇能用
“雪上加霜 “來形容.

美國人窮了, 政府稅收少了. 各政府機構勒緊褲帶, 節衣縮食. 最明顯受影響的是教育機構 . 佛羅里達州 Lakeland的公立小學竟然窮的連學生課堂所需用品的支出都不夠. 最後由當地一家大約有9000名教友的浸信教會全權供應. 同時還提供課外輔導的責任. 教會也藉此到學生家裡去傳教, 吸收了更多的教友 .

有些學校願意讓廠商在學校的球場 ,餐廳 ,甚至校車上張貼廣告 .祇求廠商的贊助. 以彌補學校在經費上的短缺. 某州一牙醫幫學校募得$5000科技實驗費用. 卻同時也替自己的診所帶來了更多客戶. 這些大小企業與學校互助的例子, 在美國每一州每一城都有. 天下沒有白吃的午餐 . 企業界, 教會的資助不是無條件的, 校長們心知肚明, 但也無可奈何. 有了這些錢 , 他們才能維持學校龐大的支出, 甚至雇一個半薪的音樂 或
美術老師. 全美大部分的公立學校 几乎都在乞求金錢及資源的協助 . 這與數十年前, 真有不可同日而語的感覺.

話說至此 報上另一標題有關退休基金也遭修理 . 原本退休基金是按照每年物價指數調整. 結果科羅拉多州及明尼蘇達州已經刪除調整. 當然退休人員, 也不會放過他們. 法律訴訟已在進行當中. 當今政府機構能刪的刪, 人員能精簡就精簡, 課稅項目越來越多 . 美國人真是越來越窮了!

不等 不省 不管---作者 趙少康

不等 不省 不管---作者 趙少康

春節時我趁華航有包機直飛澳洲大堡礁，參加旅行團8日遊，澳洲是一個適合全家旅遊的好地方，
有山、有海、有沙漠、有熱帶雨林、有無尾熊可抱、有袋鼠可餵、有賭場可玩，這是我第三次去澳洲，

第一次到名列世界7大自然景觀的大堡礁，雖然不如大溪地夢幻般的美，但能浮潛在世界最大片的珊瑚礁上，與魚共游，也是很難得的機會。

經濟風暴蝕掉老本 與台灣只有2個小時的時差以及只有7小時的飛行時間，更可減少長途飛行的不適。


在從凱恩斯飛布里斯班的途中有一比我晚一期的台大電機系同學跟我說，他在加州矽谷已工作二十多年，

最近回到台灣，他說光是他們班上就有二十多人在矽谷工作，常聚在一起開小型同學會，因受到金融海嘯襲擊，近來心境大變，以前大家都認為人生至此階段，三樣事最重要，即「老伴、老友、老本」，可是經過這麼一陣經濟風暴折騰，「老本」都差不多搞光了，能剩的也很有限了。 所以現在大家聚在一起，對人生價值有了新的領悟，即「不等、不省、不管」，

我問他這「三不」到底何所指，他彷彿從工程師變成一個哲學家，「不等」就是凡事想做就做，不要再等待，誰知道明天、明年會變成什麼樣子？「不省」就是當花則花，別省了半天都被別人賠光了，何不 自己 享受享受？「不管」則是到了這個年齡，於公在外國公司不論主動、被動都會從第一線退到第二線，於私子女也都長大了，要管他們也未必聽、不如別管了。交淺不言深，我當然不好意思問他「老本」到底賠了多少？但看來是受傷頗重，

想想看這些台大電機系的畢業生，當年都是第一志願考進去的，到美國苦讀拿到碩士、博士學位，再到矽谷拚死拚活的幹到5、60歲，好不容易存下的「老本」不是買基金、就是買雷曼債券這類衍生性商品，而誘人的股票選擇權恐也成空，這些人都是一輩子苦幹實幹的人，也不是什麼貪婪倖進之徒，居然落到這步田地，人生觀能無改變？ 「不等、不省、不管」看似消極，其實卻具有積極的精神，而且處在經濟亂世中，什麼是積極、

什麼是消極，完全都被顛覆了，以前人家說的「你不理財，財不理你」，卻變成「你去理財，財去咬你」，馬英九、周美青夫婦把餘錢都存銀行，現在反成為受傷最輕者。 該吃就吃該花就花

「人生無常」，常指「生老病死」，大多數人在經濟上都感到無常，大部分人買股票、債券只不過想獲得比定存高一點的利息，以抵消通貨膨脹，讓老年有一點依靠，沒想到變成血本無歸， 「不等、不省、不管」，有花堪折直須折，莫待無花空折枝，該吃就吃、該喝就喝、該玩就玩、 該花就花，人人如此，經濟搞不好還會快點好起來。

New Tax in 2013

1. How does the 0.9% tax work?
2010 employment income -joint income is $350,000
2010 medicare tax you owe - $350,000 x 1.45% = $5,075
Your employer will owe a matching amount
2013 medicare tax  $350,000 x 1.45% +
$350,000 (assumed) - $250,000 fixed) x 0.9% = $5,975
Your employer will not pay this extra $900
2. The 3.8% tax on net investment income
The tax is a flat 3.8% on investment income above the threshold.
threshould for the “modified adjusted gross income” (AGI)
Couple - $250,000
Single - $200,000
Example: If a couple has $400,000 AGI -$200,000 of wages & $200,000
Investment income
$400,000 - $250,000 = $150,000
$150,000 * 3.8% = $5,700 (Extra tax you owe)
Example: A single earns $40,000 but has an investment windfall of $190,000
$40,000 + $190,000 = $230,000
Tax: ($230,000 – $200,000) * 3.8% = $1140
Example: Retiree wih no wages but $90,000 IRA payout and $150,000 investment
Income
$90,000 + $150,000 = $240,000
Don’t owe the new tax!
3. Could the 3.8% tax apply to gains on the sales of a home?
Yes, if there is a taxable gain above the $500,000($250,000,ingle)exclusion for Gains on the sales of your residence.
4. What happens if a tax payer who has a large itemized deduction?
Even if taxable income is zero because of deductions, he/she could still owe the
3.8% tax.
Example: Income($100,000) and wages ($200,000) together: $300,000
Loses of ponzi scheme $300,000
($300,000 - $200,000) * 3.8% = $3,800
Still owes $3,800 on net investment income

5. How to minimize these taxes?
 SSI and pension doesn’t count as investment income
 Roth IRA withdrawals don’t raise AGI and aren’t investment income
 Consider installment sales of asset

Excerpt from newspaper

1. MSFT, YHOO, GOOG, Facebook and Intuit have all built data centers in the Pacific Northwest region, the outskirt of Portland. Why? "low humidity and cool nights" which will prevent banks of humming computers from overheating.

2. Digital Authentication - some forms of biometric identification
a. Fingerprint
b. Vein geometry - camera scans hand using near-infrared light. Software creates a
reference template based on shape and location of the vein structure.
c. Facial recognition - Measure various facial "landmarks" such as distance
between eyes, width of nose, depth of eye sockets and length of jaw line.
d. Iris scanning - Measures pupils, iris, eyelids and eyelashes.
If you wish to learn more about this topic, please visit
http://science.howstuffworks.com/biometrics.htm

Bank Nationalization

The federal government increased the government's ownership stake to 36% from 8% through a conversion of up to $25 billion in preferred shares issued last fall under the Troubled Assets Relief Program (TARP) on February 27, 2009. Let us recap some important points of this deal.

• Preferred shareholders will convert up to $27.5 billion of shares to common shares under the deal. If the maximum share conversions take place, the U.S. government will own 36% of Citi's outstanding common shares, and existing shareholders will own approximately 26%. The conversion is occurring at a price of $3.25 a share.
• The dilution of existing shareholders (existing shareholder will see their stake diluted by 74%) under the plan was greater than many expected and sparked a sell-off in Citi shares.
• The move doesn't involve additional funds to Citi from the Treasury, which has invested $45 billion in the bank under TARP. However, it will boost Citi by improving the bank's tangible common equity ratio,
• Citi will suspend dividend payments on the preferred shares.
• The government's remaining preferred stock will be converted to a new security that will pay the same 8% cash dividend as the current preferred shares, the Treasury said.

The risk of bank nationalization:

• Full nationalization - giving the government 100% of the bank - would wipe you out altogether; by giving the bank the chance to turn itself around, you may be able to keep some small portion of your shareholding.
• The nationalized banks will be forced to increase lending volumes artificially, making their competitors’ lives even more difficult. Private investors might decide to avoid the banks that remain fully private because of the higher perceived risk. Moreover, that could bring even more banks to the edge of collapsing.
• A new government lending institution, while that institution might be very slow in getting organized and not a particularly intelligent competitor once it did, it would be able to use the resources of the Federal government to make credit-card loans, automobile loans and mortgage loans at subsidized rates.

The Benefit of bank nationalization:
When a bank is nationalized, the public's interests are put before shareholders. That means a struggling bank can be restructured in ways that best suit the financial health of the nation.
In addition, if the government bought up the toxic assets, that could wipe out some of the uncertainty that has been plaguing financial markets for months because it hopefully would keep the value of the assets from falling further.

How to backing up your Internet favorites

The simplest method is to export your favorites to a file and save it in your document folder, on your desktop, or on a USB thumb drive. You can then use this file to restore your favorites in case of disaster. To do this:

1. Click on the “File” or “Add to Favorites” button depending on the version of IE.
2. Select “Import and Export”
3. Click “Next”
4. Click “Export favorites” and walk through the steps that follow.

Detailed instructions for all versions of IE are at:support.miscrosoft.com/kb/211089

When you have nobody to depend on, you are on your own….

It was dark. I eagerly greeted my exhausted husband returning home from work. Instead of joining me for dinner, Dan walked straight to the front door, and peered through the glass door. After a few minutes, he opened the door and darted to the street. I hurried to look through the window, there was a parked car on the street and Dan was engaged in a conversation with the person inside the car. The car moved slowly into our driveway, parked, and out came an old, fragile, silvered haired woman. Dan helped her out of the car and invited her into our house for water and the bathroom. Her name is Edema, 96 years old. This stranger was lost for nearly 3 hours after her hair appointment. I was shocked; why was this 96 year old woman behind the wheel on her own? What was going on with her life? After listening to her story, I understood her predicament, she has nobody to depend on and she is completely on her own. She had a beautiful family, middle class; a few years ago her husband passed away. Her only son passed away when he was in his 30s; the only relative she has left is her daughter-in-law who is in Tampa, approximately 180 miles away from Jacksonville. When the police finally arrived to escort her home, she thanked us and waved goodbye. I helped her to her car and I could see the frightened look and uncertainty in her sad eyes. She was nervous and had trouble getting back into her car. I begged the police, “Forget it, don’t let her drive in the dark!” The young police officer told me that the old woman was doing all right, I was the one who stressed her out. I hopelessly watched her clumsily got back into her car and followed the police car home. After that, we completely lost our appetite; I cannot imagine myself in her position. Fortunately, she can still see and hear very well, she is still on top of everything and knows what is going on in the world. What an amazing person!

DOW passed 14,000 mark

The Dow Jones industrial average swept past 14,000 for the first time on Tuesday, July 17.

S&P and NASDAQ were also trading high. If you take a close look at today's stock market, stocks rallied on cyclical stocks, such as railroad stocks, industrial (CAT, GE, DE…), and technical stocks. AXP (American Express) is the one of few non-cyclical stocks gaining in the market.


What caused cyclical stock rallying? Oil prices have moved up tremendously and alternative energy is inevitable, especially ethanol fuel. Ethanol is produced by fermentation of sugar or starch. The main source of bio-ethanol fuel in the United States lies in corn. Corn has thus become a very profit commodity, this is a classical demand and supply scenario. When the farmer has excess money in hand, he will buy better and faster growing seeds from companies such as Monsanto (MON), fertilizer from Agrium (AGU), agriculture machinery from John Deer (DE) or Caterpillar (CAT). Furthermore, they need railroads to transport the products. In addition, most of the new ethanol plants dotting the Midwest are gas-fired. In the mean time, corn growers are using much more fertilizer, which is produced using natural gas; gas company XTO energy (XTO) was also participating in today's rally.

Health Information

SIGNS OF A STROKE (WITH 1 NEW ADDITION)

STROKE: Remember The 1st Three Letters...S.T.R

My friend sent this to me and encouraged me to post it and spread the word. I agree. If everyone can remember something this simple, we could save some folks..

Seriously.. Please read:

STROKE IDENTIFICATION:

During a BBQ, a friend stumbled and took a little fall - she assured everyone that she was fine (they offered to call paramedics) and that she had just tripped over a brick because of her new shoes. They got her cleaned up and got her a new plate of food. While she appeared a bit shaken up, Ingrid went about enjoying herself the rest of the evening. Ingrid's husband called later telling everyone that his wife had been taken to the hospital - (at 6:00 pm, Ingrid passed away.) She had suffered a stroke at the BBQ. Had they known how to identify the signs of a stroke, perhaps Ingrid would be with us today. Some don't die. They end up in a helpless, hopeless condition instead.

It only takes a minute to read this... A neurologist says that if he can get to a stroke victim within 3 hours he can totally reverse the effects of a stroke...totally. He said the trick was getting a stroke recognized, diagnosed, and then getting the patient medically cared for within 3 hours, which is tough.

RECOGNIZING A STROKE

Thank God for the sense to remember the "3" steps, STR . Read and Learn! Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify. Unfortunately, the lack of awareness spells disaster. The stroke victim may suffer severe brain damage when people nearby fail to recognize the symptoms of a stroke.

Now doctors say a bystander can recognize a stroke by asking three simple questions:

S * Ask the individual to SMILE.

T * Ask the person to TALK to SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE (Coherently) (i.e.. . . It is sunny out today)

R * Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS.

*NOTE: Another 'sign' of a stroke is this: Ask the person to 'stick' out their tongue If the tongue is 'crooked', if it goes to one side or the other, that is also an indication of a stroke. If he or she has trouble with ANY ONE of these tasks, call 911 immediately !! and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher A cardiologist says if everyone who gets this e-mail sends it to 10 people; you can bet that at least one life will be saved.

First movie review - Six Degrees of Seperation

I recently watched the 1993 movie – “Six Degrees of Separation”. This is my New Year’s resolution; I want to learn new things. Watching movies will be a good starting point.

This story is based around the idea that everyone is connected to everyone else by a maximum of six other people; it's just finding those six that make the link. This is an extremely interesting story, told in a series of anecdotal discussions between the main characters and their friends and business partners at various different social occasions.

In New York, the art dealers John Flanders ('Flan') Kittredge and Louisa ('Ouisa') Kittredge are ready to have a business dinner with their South African friend and client Geoffrey Miller, when a wounded young black man comes to their fancy apartment asking for help, telling them that he had just been robbed in Central Park. He introduces himself as Paul (Will Smith), a friend of their son and daughter in Harvard and son of Sidney Poitier. The couple invites him to stay with them. During they night, they discover that Paul is not who he claims to be. When they investigate the life of Paul, they find the hidden truth, and their investigations are intriguing and lead them to re-evaluate their own lives.

This movie refreshed my memory; I almost forgot who Sydney Poitier was. He was the handsome actor in the movie “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner” and the first African-American to win the Academy Award for best actor.

In the movie, the art dealer mentioned that he owns the double-sided Kandinsky painting. Kandinsky was a famous Russian abstract painter, usually regarded as the originator of abstract art. His artwork is well represented in the Guggenheim Museum, New York. Next time I am in New York, I will go to museum to see his artwork.
Did you know that wines from even numbered years are superior to odd numbered ones? Yes, that‘s what I learned from the movie.

Financial note

Why financial advisers love to sell VA(Variable annuities) to their clinets? Primirarily financial advisers can earn fat commissions from their clients and it is easy to sell. Most consumers fall for the sales pitch of getting tax deferred savings by investing in mutual funds through a VA as well as the promise that they won't ever get less out of the VA than they put in.

Advisers doesn't tell you: you will pay an extra fee each year that hoovers around 1.3% to give you that asset protection, which kicks in only if you die. If you take all your money out while you are alive, there's no guarantee you'll get at least your original deposit back.

If you withdraw it, you are going to owe income tax, not capital gains ta, on your earnings.

To learn more abour Va, check out the web site suzeorman.com