[Hank's Mail]Magic of Belief

Dear all,


Good Friday morning!



Hardly a surprise but the D.C. administrative law judge known as the crazy pants guy, who had sued his neighborhood dry cleaner for $54 million over a pair of lost pants, ended up with a ruling in favor of the defendant. Since D.C. Mayor had already asked the panel considering the judge’s appointment to a full, 10-year term to hold off on any decision until the ruling is dropped, his job and finances could be in jeopardy as a result of his court loss. It’s truly poetic justice and a good start of the week but …



The news was like a bolt from the blue to all of us that thirteen innocent souls from Seoul died in a plane crash in Cambodia. May they rest in peace, and …God bless their bereaved families!




It’s a no-brainer that people are nervously sensitive to their health indicators, including frequent visits to wellness centers. For our invigorated life, I’d like to share several health-related tidbits with you.



Firstly, a new study, conducted at Malmo University Hospital in Sweden and published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, suggests that adding a little more than a teaspoon of cinnamon to a bowl of rice pudding lowered the post-meal blood sugar and cholesterol rise in a group of healthy volunteers.



Secondly, kidney disease speeds up heart disease well before it has ravaged the kidneys, and heart disease can trigger kidney destruction as well, according to the preventive medicine team of William Beaumont Hospital in Michigan. After all, high blood pressure and diabetes are chief risk factors for both chronic kidney disease and heart attacks.



Thirdly, researchers at the University of Tennessee reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that foie gras may transmit a little-known disease known as amyloidosis. FYI, Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form of dementia, is described as a type of amyloidosis.



Lastly, the New York State Department of Health cautions against antiques since they can pose mercury hazard. For instance, mirrors can be backed with mercury and tin; clock pendulums might be weighted with embedded vials of mercury; and barometers, thermometers and lamps may have mercury in their bases for ballast. Of course, I assume you know that exposure to high levels of mercury can cause damage to the brain, heart, kidneys, lungs and immune system.



Last weekend a local TV station aired a special program about the miraculous power of immersion. A few junior high students, who do not excel but just average in mathematics, were immersed in solving an advanced calculus question that they were supposed to learn in high school and which Sir. Isaac Newton was the first mathematician to solve. Voila! As a powerful evidence of the magic of immersion some of them could successfully solve the question.



Have a healthy and joyful weekend!



Hank



[Magic of Belief]



There is a story many years ago of an elementary teacher. Her name was Mrs. Thompson. And as she stood in front of her 5th grade class on the very first day of school, she told the children a lie. Like most teachers, she looked at her students and said that she loved them all the same.



But that was impossible, because there in the front row, slumped in his seat, was a little boy named Teddy Stoddard. Mrs. Thompson had watched Teddy the year before and noticed that he didn’t play well with the other children, that his clothes were messy and that he constantly needed a bath. And Teddy could be unpleasant. It got to the point where Mrs. Thompson would actually take delight in marking his papers with a broad red pen, making bold X’s and then putting a big “F” at the top of his papers.



At the school where Mrs. Thompson taught, she was required to review each child's past records and she put Teddy’s off until last. However, when she reviewed his file, she was in for a surprise.



Teddy’s first grade teacher wrote, “Teddy is a bright child with a ready laugh. He does his work neatly and has good manners...he is a joy to be around.”



His second grade teacher wrote, “Teddy is an excellent student, well liked by his classmates, but he is troubled because his mother has a terminal illness and life at home must be a struggle.”



His third grade teacher wrote, “His mother's death has been hard on him. He tries to do his best but his father doesn't show much interest and his home life will soon affect him if some steps aren't taken.”



Teddy's fourth grade teacher wrote, “Teddy is withdrawn and doesn't show much interest in school. He doesn't have many friends and sometimes sleeps in class.”



By now, Mrs. Thompson realized the problem and she was ashamed of herself. She felt even worse when her students brought her Christmas presents, wrapped in beautiful ribbons and bright paper, except for Teddy's. His present was clumsily wrapped in the heavy, brown paper that he got from a grocery bag.



Mrs. Thompson took pains to open it in the middle of the other presents. Some of the children started to laugh when she found a rhinestone bracelet with some of the stones missing, and a bottle that was one quarter full of perfume. But she stifled the children's laughter when she exclaimed how pretty the bracelet was, putting it on, and dabbing some of the perfume on her wrist.



Teddy Stoddard stayed after school that day just long enough to say, “Mrs. Thompson, today you smelled just like my Mom used to.” After the children left she cried for at least an hour.



Mrs. Thompson paid particular attention to Teddy. As she worked with him, his mind seemed to come alive. The more she encouraged him, the faster he responded. By the end of the year, Teddy had become one of the smartest children in the class and, despite her lie that she would love all the children the same, Teddy became one of her “teacher’s pets.”



A year later, she found a note under her door, from Teddy, telling her that she was still the best teacher he ever had in his whole life. Six years went by before she got another note from Teddy. He then wrote that he had finished high school, third in his class, and she was still the best teacher he ever had in his whole life.



Four years after that, she got another letter, saying that while things had been tough at times, he’d stayed in school, had stuck with it, and would soon graduate from college with the highest of honors. He assured Mrs. Thompson that she was still the best and favorite teacher he ever had in his whole life.



Then four more years passed and yet another letter came. This time he explained that after he got his bachelor’s degree, he decided to go a little further. The letter explained that she was still the best and favorite teacher he ever had. But now his name was a little longer -- the letter was signed, Theodore F. Stoddard, M.D.



The story doesn’t end there. You see, there was yet another letter that spring. Teddy said he'd met this girl and was going to be married. He explained that his father had died a couple of years ago and he was wondering if Mrs. Thompson might agree to sit in the place at the wedding that was usually reserved for the mother of the groom. Of course, Mrs. Thompson did. And guess what? She wore that bracelet, the one with several rhinestones missing. And she made sure she was wearing the perfume that Teddy remembered his mother wearing on their last Christmas together.



They hugged each, and Dr. Stoddard whispered in Mrs. Thompson’s ear, “Thank you Mrs. Thompson for believing in me. Thank you so much for making me feel important and showing me that I could make a difference.”



Mrs. Thompson, with tears in her eyes, whispered back. She said, “Teddy, you have it all wrong. You were the one who taught me that I could make a difference. I didn't know how to teach until I met you.”



[A Simple Robber II]



The Ann Arbor News crime column reported that a man walked into a Burger King in Ypsilanti, Michigan, at 5 a.m., flashed a gun, and demanded cash. The clerk turned him down because he said he couldn't open the cash register without a food order. When the man ordered onion rings, the clerk said they weren't available for breakfast. The man, frustrated, walked away.



신뢰의 마력



전혀 놀라운 일이 아니긴 하지만, 잃어버린 바지 한 벌에 대해 5400만 불을 내노라고 동네 세탁소를 상대로 소송을 했던 “또라이 바지 사내”로 통하는 워싱턴 행정법 판사는 결국 피고 승소 판결을 받았습니다. 워싱턴 시장이 완전한 10년 임기의 판사 재임용을 심의하는 위원회에 이번 사건 판결이 내려질 때까지 결정을 연기해달라는 요청을 이미 했으므로, 이번 패소로 그는 직장과 경제적 측면에서 위기에 처할 수 있습니다. 이것은 참으로 권선징악의 결론이며 금 주의 좋은 출발입니다만 …



13명의 죄없는 한국인들이 캄보디아에서 비행기 사고로 사망했다는 뉴스는 우리 모두에게 청천벽력이었습니다. 사망자들이여 고이 잠드소서 그리고 … 유족들에게 신의 가호가 있기를!



헬스클럽을 자주 찾는 등 사람들이 건강지표에 지나칠 정도로 민감한 것은 다 아는 사실입니다. 우리들의 활기찬 삶을 위해 몇 가지 건강관련 뉴스를 전해드립니다.



첫째, 스웨덴 맬모 대학 병원이 실시하고 “미국 임상영양 저널”에 발표된 최근 조사에 따르면, 건강한 지원자 그룹이 쌀 푸딩 한 그릇에 계피 약 한 티스푼을 넣어 먹으니 식후 혈당 및 콜레스테롤 증가가 낮추어지더랍니다.



둘째, 미시건주 윌리엄 보우먼트 병원 예방의학팀에 의하면, 신장병은 신장을 해치기 훨씬 전에 심장병을 악화시키고, 심장병 또한 신장 훼손을 촉발할 수 있답니다. 결론적으로, 고혈압 및 당뇨는 만성 신장질환 및 심장마비 모두에 가장 해롭답니다.



셋째, 테네시 주립대학 연구진이 “전미 과학 아카데미 회보”에 보고한 바에 의하면, 거위간 (포와 그라)은 아밀로이드증이라는 잘 알려지지 않은 병을 옮길지 모른답니다. 그런데, 치매의 가장 흔한 종류인 알츠하이머병은 아밀로이드증의 한 유형이랍니다.



끝으로, 뉴욕주 보건국은 골동품이 수은 중독 위험을 초래할 수 있으므로 골동품에 조심하랍니다. 예컨대, (골동품) 거울은 수은 및 주석으로 등받이를 대는 수가 있고, (골동품) 시계 추는 수은 병을 끼워 무게를 주는 수가 있으며, (골동품) 기압계, 온도계, 램프 등은 안정을 위해 바닥에 수은을 쓰고 있을지 모른답니다. 수은에 많이 노출되면 뇌, 심장, 신장, 폐, 면역체계 등에 손상을 입을 수 있다는 것을 여러분이 아시리라 생각하고 있음은 물론입니다.



지난 주말 한 TV 방송국은 몰입의 신비스런 효험에 관한 특별 프로그램을 방송했습니다. 수학성적이 뛰어나지 않고 그저 보통인 몇 명의 중학생들이 고등학교에서 배우는 아이