Apples!

Today I listen to Boston radio, the title is: Apple Season In New England. The question-master David Boeri first shows several special varieties of apples of New England. The first kind is lamb abbey permain, the second kind is porter which is the apple comes from Massachusetts, the third one Harrison which is the extinct one, it looks ugly, but it has the fabulous taste. He then introduces the Nashoba wine. The first one cyser honey apple wine, it was very popular when sugar was very expensive and honey was available. The second one is dry apple wine. In 1900, New England colonies lived on sweet cider. It was so important for them at that time.

Americans are called apple pie because apples are everywhere, in the stores, in the farm land, and even in the yard. They find an apple tree which very old probably 60—70 years old. It is from generation to generation and generation. It about 50 feet tall and the fruits are sweet. It’s amazing.Then the master of this program interviewed Bob, the owner of a big orchard. Bob followed his father and uncle and became the orchard owner. In 1910, one barrel of apple is $3 in New York. At that time New England is the Global Maker. The apples were sold to England, Chile, South Africa, and even China. Bob, his wife and their son come every fall from New Jersey. The farm stands next to their house. Bob says it’s a labor of love. Every fall they sell their apples on sale. They sell their land as real estate.

The primary reason for planting apple tree was hard cider for hundreds years ago. It was the preferred drink of Commonwealth, the pilgrim, and the colonies. The second president John Adam drank a tanker for breakfast. The wine makers are very classical in New England. Boston has nowhere can compete with those farms’ prices and taxes. In 1995, with the local and estate contribution, Tack bought the big farm when he was 30 years old. He is a software engineer. His parents and in-laws work for free to help him manage the farm. Every fall he sells apples and attract so many families come to pick apples. He puts a lot of decorations for his orchard. When he saw more and more families come he said it worth it.

Then one listener called and asked how they could stop the super market from using apples from China and apple products like apple juice. The master answered now the world juice markets are dominated by China. It’s tuff and that’s something on the horizon. The Chinese planted a lot of apple trees 10 years ago. China now becomes the largest apple producer in the world. The state of Washington produced about 5% of the apples in the world. America imports the apples a lot from China. It has been coming in for several years now.

Some point of views.

Today I read an article from New York Time, November 9, 2009. The author is Allan Sloan, a professional economy critic. He believes that the government uses trillions of dollars to help the giant financial institutions bail out is wrong. He doesn't agree with many economists said the Great Recession has ended. He lists that unemployment is marching toward 10% and the house foreclosures are still rising. He is very angry that the salary of the employee is 150,000; but the bonus is 250,000. People who work at Wall Street they send their children to $40,000-a-year private schools, and they live in Manhattan. According to the Time’s poll, 63% of the respondents feel the Wall Street executives’ pay is completely out of line. He also mentions that 60 trillion of government money flowing into GM and Chrysler. He said the money didn’t use to help the retiree’s pension. He called the CEOs pigs.

I think the author is extremely angry, he stand by the side of Main Street, I feel the American’s economy is becoming worse and worse. Almost every international student can’t find job now. Because so many old employees were laid off. Some of my friends had no jobs and they had to go back to China.

I have a friend her husband owned 3 buildings at Bacon Hill, her family rent the 3 buildings to the tenants, and they charge the renting fees. Because the bad economy, there are less and less tenants rent their studios. This year they don’t have enough money pay for the mortgages. They sell 2 buildings in order to pay back the money to the bank. 3 years ago the building they owned each one worth 4 million dollars. This year each of the building just sold at 2,900,000. They lost 1 million.

As an international student, I can truly feel the bad recession, I agree with the author the economy is still bad. I had a job at Dunking Donuts, the tips the customers gave us is less and less. 3 0r 4 years ago, the co-worker told me he can get 5-6 dollars one hour. Now I can only get 1 dollar one hour, sometimes 50 cents one hour. I think people have no money, so they don’t give tips. I think it’s like a big circle, customers have no money. All the employees earn less money, so they don’t buy extra stuff, just the basic needs. The result is everyone has less money. It’s the bad circulation.

Actually I don’t know how to fix the bad economy, it’s too complicated for me to find a way to solve the giant problem. I just use my eyes to watch, to observe, and to think. I know that the year salary of Blankfein who is the CEO of Goldman Sachs is 1,000 times of the average worker. That’s the system. I have no comments about it because I don’t want to judge the system good or not.

I like to keep observing and thinking.

Drinking and driving!

Last week I read an article: SADD fakes deaths to teach lesson. SADD is students against drink driving grogram. This program is help teenagers not to drink and drive. At Holliston High School SADD used an untrue announcement that two of the most popular students had been killed by a drunk driver. After heard this, students began to cry and grieve, and for several minutes they believe their classmates were dead. Teachers tried to tell students that this could happen to them or someone close to them.

Some of the students and their parents got angry because they thought it was too traumatic. One girl was dismissed from school when she became highly emotional. One student said: it was the worst possible way to do it. They didn’t have to go to such an extreme that made people cry. But the school stands behind its decision to support SADD. The school believed that it would be the most effective way to make students think twice about driving while drunk or drinking at all. Most kids started saying they wouldn’t take the risk. Students swear they will never drink and drive again.

I think it is a good grogram to teach teenagers not to drink and drive. I believe teenagers’ threshold of terror is very high. Kids don’t believe something like this serious could really happen to them. And from this program they do believe this would happen to them or someone around them. There is a poem named: Death of an innocent. Here I want to share with you.
I went to a party mom, I remembered what you said.
You told me not to drink mom, so I drank soda instead.
I really felt proud inside, mom, the way you said I would.
I didn’t drink and drive, mom, even though the others said I should.
I know I did the right thing, mom, I know you were always right.
Now the party is finally ending, mom, as everyone is driving out of sight.
As I got into my car, mom, I knew I’d get home in one piece.
Because of the way you raised me, so responsible and sweet.
I started to drive away, mom but as I pulled out into the road.
The other car didn’t see me, mom, and hit me like a load.
As I lay there on the pavement, mom, I hear the policeman say,
The other guy is drunk, mom, and I’m the one who will pay.
I’m lying here dying, mom, I wish you’d get here soon.
How could this happen to me, mom? My life just burst like a balloon.
There is blood all around me, mom, and most of it is mine.
I hear the medic say, mom, I’ll die in a short time.
I wanted to tell you, mom, I swear I didn’t drink.
It was the others, mom. The others who didn’t think.
He was probably at the same party as I.
The only difference is he drank and I will die.
Why do people drink, mom? It can ruin the whole life.
I’m feeling sharp pains now. Pains just like a knife.
The guy who hit me is walking, mom, and I don’t think it’s fair.
I’m lying here dying and all he can do id stare.
Tell brother not to cry, mom. Tell daddy to be brave.
And when I go to heaven, mom, put: Daddy’s girl on my grave.
Someone should have told him, mom, not to drink and drive.
If only they had told him, mom, I would still be alive.
My breath is getting shorter, mom. I’m becoming very scared.
Please don’t cry for me, mom. When I needed you, you were always there.
I have one question, mom, before I say good bye.
I didn’t drink and drive, so why am I the one to die?

I really like this poem, I was deeply moved. I am the one who had a car accident 5 years ago. I was hit by a drunk driver. I am the lucky one who still alive, but I have some problems on my backbones and my knees, so now every week I do two times physical therapy, it hurts me all the time, I can’t sit too long, either stand too long. So when I read the poem, I felt like talking about myself.
I hope I can join the SADD or MADD programs to help others away from these risks. I wish everyone safe and healthy.

Keep smiling!

Last week I watched CNN, it said that at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center there are clinical trials on whether laughter is a healing power. A five-year-old boy Shawn Mellen has pneumonia, and his doctors dropped by with his lunch. Everyday Dr. Stubs, Dr. tricky, and Dr. Noodles have their clown rounds. Researchers want to get a handle on the medical impact the clown care unit may have on the patients. The doctors find that when they come into a hospital room, the energy is usually fairly low. And through music, through juggling, through fun, they get that energy vibrating. They think the best time to leave is when the whole room is shimmering with positive, vital, life energy. After the patients being in uncomfortable states in surgery, the clown helps kind of bring the patients back to their childhood and want them to get out of that unit and facilitate their healing.

But there is no hard evidence that clowns really do help the healing process. Hence, the study will keep year- long at this hospital. The doctors measure the physiological indices such as heart rate, blood pressure, amount of medications given, amount of time in the recovery room. There is plenty of anecdotal proof that clowns make both the patients and the parents feel better. The parents feel it relieves a lot of tension, especially when they are waiting. I believe that laughter may indeed be the best medicine.

I believe when people in a bad mood for a long time he or she will get disease. And laughter and good mood will help people’s immune system to kill the virus and bacteria. I have read a journal that actually everyone has the cancer cells in our body. In normal condition, our immune system can produce body to kill the cancer cells. But when people frustrated, or bid depression, the immune system will be weak. So the cancer cells will reproduce quickly. And then people get cancer. I think the best way to keep away from decease is keep a good mood everyday, keep the regulated daily life, and have the healthy diet.

Keep smiling, away from decease!

Money challenges brotherliness.

Alan Lewis, chief executive of Grand Circle Travel. Hank Lewis, Alan’s younger brother, who runs Vantage Travel in Boston. Both of them are successful businessman. They were good brothers. They bought a cruise ship together, and purchased a vacation home together on Purgatory Road in Middletown, R.I. They donated several million dollars in honor of their late father to fund the West End Boys & Girls Club in Allston. Alan provided millions of dollars in support of educational, cultural, and humanitarian organizations in Boston.

Last year, Alan borrowed $10 million from his brother Hank Lewis. Alan used the money into his business, but last year’s economy is bad. So Alan couldn’t give back the money to his brother. At last these two brothers suited each other on court.

After I read the news, I felt a little bit sad. People can easily break up the friendship, the brotherliness because of money. This happened to my family too. My grandpa has 4 apartments, each of them are different sizes, he want to give each of his child one apartment as a gift. My other uncles fought with each other to get the biggest apartment, except my Dad, who believes that brotherliness is much more important than money. In the end, my youngest uncle got the biggest apartment. From then on my older uncle has never talked with him. Every time they met, looked like the enemies. My grandpa was so sad, he gave the apartments to his children as gifts, he didn’t want them became enemies. My dad got the smallest apartment but we are happy.

I think for Alan and Hank, 10 million dollars is not a very big deal. They can easily donate several million to a club. For them, it’s not worth become enemies just for 10 million. If they can get together and get through the bad economy, I believe they can earn more money in the future. Hurt each other and no cooperation in the future is too bad.

Now Hank does his own business without his brother. And he is going to get rid of the vacation house which he shares with his brother on Purgatory Road. Just like the husband and wife begin to divorce. Maybe several years later, Hank and Alan will find out that two brothers work together is much better than work alone. And then they can forgive each other and understand each other. As people get older, they will become more mature. They will find out what is more important than money.

I hope they can recover the brotherliness soon.

Who's happier, women or men?

Today I listened to CBS news, there is a research about: Who is happier, Women or Men? The journal of Happiness Studies says that women are happier than men, but only until their late 40s. The journal takes an example: Hugh Hefner, a man who gets happier as he gets older-and his girlfriends get younger.

Amy Dickenson, the advice columnist for the Chicago Tribune, said that middle age could be a turning point. The study surveyed 47,000 people, considered happiness levels of men and women. The result is women are happier than men in their 20s. Because men’s lackluster love lives and low-paying first jobs. After 48, men are happier, because by then men are married and better off financially.

Tom Smith, the professor of Chicago University, said women make the transition to adulthood much easier than men. When women hit 48, they worry about raising kids, and worry about aging parents, also worry about aging themselves. They use Botox and body shapers to keep youth.

When women and men get older and older, they both become very happy, that’s the good news. They begin to realize what is important in life. They become maturity.I think the most important thing in people’s lives is not good-looking. It’s should be happiness, virtue, and self-satisfaction. I can’t understand so many film-stars in order to keep the beauty to do a lot of surgeries which are bad for their health. No worth to do that. Finally we will be old. I will not worry about getting old. It’s the nature circulation. I hope all the women will be happy when they get old.

Good Luck Chinatown!

The first month I arrived in Boston, I have been eating a lot of times at Chinatown because I haven’t used to eating American food. The food of Chinese restaurant delivered is not the authentic Chinese food. They have already changed to American style. The chef puts more sugar and less pepper. To be honest, I don’t like Chinatown. As a Chinese I should like it, but all the streets of Chinatown are very filthy, the trash bags are dancing on the roads. I still remember the worst experience I had at Chinatown. Last year I went to a Vietnam restaurant in Chinatown, I ordered a bowl of extra large shrimp noodle. At the first spoon, I saw a piece of hair, so I asked the owner to change a new one for me. 10 minutes later, the owner brought me a small size noodle, her excuse was I have already ate, I couldn’t get the same size. I was so mad, because I was still hungry after I had that little noodle. After that bad experience, I have never tried again.

I don’t believe the words written in the article. The shops and restaurant can’t attract such a big group of consumers. The jade jewelry sold in Chinatown is fake, the quality of the commodity is low. I have a friend who were born at wakefield said Chinatown is the Combat Zone. It was a red light district full of strip joints and hookers and pimps doing business on the sidewalk. He explained the word hooker means prostitute. Chinatown has a bad reputation in native American’s heart. They feel scared of Chinatown.

In my opinion, the first stuff Chinatown should do is clean the street, each owner of each shop should take care of the front area. Maybe after they clean the roads, they can attract more customers. For travelers it is appealing go to the nice restaurant. I have been to North End so many times, every time after I finished the food I got a nice mood. Because the environment is wonderful, the people there are polite, everything is better than Chinatown. I think that’s the reason North End can attracts more consumers.

It’s very interesting that American areas are very distinct from each other. Like brookline live the Juish people, Dochester gathered the African Americans. And the good area and bad area are extremely different. Chinatown was assumed by Bostonian the “Bad Area”. It is very hard to change the bad reputation in people’s heart which is already exist. Like the bad area Dochestor of Boston. When people hear the name, they will assume the place where the crimes happen frequently. Chinatown is in the same situation. When people hear the name they always imagine the word disgusting. I hope Chinatown will become better and better. But it takes time!