Happy Father's Day!

I hope every father had a wonderful father's day. It's on such an occasion when I remember many great moments with my dad. From having a footrace together in parking lots to getting into hot debates, at the end of the day I remember so much of what my father has done for me.

Other fond memories that I have of my dad:
-Taking me out to Burger King after school
-Buy Nintendo video games for me
-Taking me to kung fu lessons
-Having lunch at a Vietnamese restaurant
-Traveling to Asia
-And many more...

Happy Father's Day!

Inspiration

I get inspired by people who travel the road less taken. I get inspired by people who leave comfortable environments in search of the unknown. I get inspired by people who work to solve the social problems of the world. I get inspired by people who take risks to accomplish their dreams in acting, music, business, or the arts.

Recent individuals that come to mind:
-Vienna Teng: http://viennateng.com
-Gloria Lee: http://reddoorsthemovie.com
-John Wood: http://roomtoread.org
-Alan Tu: http://nalatea.com
-Chris Pan: http://chrispan.com

BP and the Environment

Nice to see BP is taking a more proactive approach to increase its efforts to help the environment. Hence its name "Beyond Petroleum."

See here:


And here are the funny outtakes:

Apple Ads

Most of the Apple ads comparing the PC to the Mac are cleverly done. Here's one:

News Reporting

Sometimes I do question the photos that newspapers publish. These are photos that I think are quite visual and unnecessary for the public to see. Examples are photos of Saddam Hussein's hanging and photos of a student holding two guns. This is the same student who killed 30 people at Virginia Tech and is also dead.

Such photos do not need to be on the front page. I think newspapers online or offline can at least publish such graphic photos on other pages besides the front page.

What are you looking forward to doing next?

I am definitely looking forward to joining a dragon boat racing team in the next few weeks. For me, dragon boat racing is such a great way to get in the competitive spirit, get a good workout, and enjoy nature.

About 2 years ago, I was part of a dragon boat racing team in Cambridge, MA and we raced on Boston's Charles' River. One of my most memorable moments in dragon boat racing was practicing in the rain around 6 pm. You can imagine that with the rain and the intense waves, each stroke was challenging. But then again, each stroke was also good for the muscles. In fact, the waves were so intense that every five minutes we needed to scoop water out of our boat with cut-up milk cartons. Man...the good old days...But hey more dragon boat racing to come!

Healthcare in America: Facts

Here are some facts to start about why we need to reform America's healthcare system ASAP.

From: http://www.americansforhealthcare.org/facts/groups/glance.cfm

HEALTH CARE IN AMERICA: THE CRISIS AT A GLANCE

Quality health care that once seemed reliable is quickly being priced out of reach for millions of hardworking, taxpaying Americans. Here are the facts.

Health Care Costs Are Skyrocketing
Health care cost increases are easily outpacing wages. These rising costs make it difficult for small businesses to provide basic coverage, and corporations are shifting the growing burden directly to their employees, leaving many Americans without affordable coverage.

In the last year, wages have increased 4 percent, while insurance premiums increased 15 percent. By 2006, the cost of a family premium is expected to reach $14,500 a year.

45 Million Americans Have No Health Care
That's 1.4 million more uninsured this year than last year. Every minute, nearly 5 people lose their health insurance in the U.S. More than 74 million people went without coverage for part of the last two years. This equates to every man, woman and child in California, Texas, and New York. 74 percent of those without insurance come from working families. 8.5 million children in America have no health care.

The Crisis Affects Everyone
The scope of the health care crisis is reaching record proportions and touches the lives of Americans from all backgrounds, regardless of race, ethnicity, income, education, employment, or age.

-32 percent of Hispanics living in the U.S. are uninsured.
-Ten of the 13 million uninsured Hispanics are in working families.
-20 percent of Black Americans and 18 percent of Asians are uninsured, compared with 11 percent of whites.
-The number of people earning more than $75,000 a year who lost their insurance increased by 28 percent in the last year.
-The number of people with college degrees who lost their insurance increased by 29 percent last year.
-Close to 1 million of those who lost their health insurance this year have a full-time job.
-13 percent of people aged 55-64, or 5.2 million people, were uninsured in 2000.
-One in ten married women aged 50 to 64 becomes uninsured when their husbands turn 65 and retire.

Small Businesses and the Self-Employed Can't Afford Health Care
More than 25 million Americans own a small business. But since small businesses and the self-employed aren't able to purchase insurance as cheaply as large corporations, rising health costs are making it increasingly difficult for them to afford basic health coverage for their employees and their families.
-Less than half of small businesses offer health insurance.
-Workers in small firms are three times as likely to be uninsured as workers in large firms.