Notes from Dr. Lee

Dear Colleagues,

I recently came across this story, and it truly made me think about what I appreciate in this world. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

A group of students was asked to list what they thought were the present Seven Wonders Of The World. Though there was some disagreement, the following received the most votes:

　　1. Egypt 's Great Pyramid
　　2. Taj Mahal
　　3. Grand Canyon
　　4. Panama Canal
　　5. Empire State Building
　　6. St. Peter's Basilica
　　7. China 's Great Wall

While gathering the votes, the teacher noted that one quiet student hadn't turned in her paper yet, so she asked the girl if she was having trouble with her list. The girl replied, “Yes, a little. I couldn't quite make up my mind because there were so many.” The teacher said, “Well, tell us what you have and maybe we can help.” The girl hesitated, then read her list. Her Seven Wonders Of The World were:
　　1. To touch
　　2. To taste
　　3. To see
　　4. To hear
She paused, then added:
　　5. To feel
　　6. To laugh
　　7. And to love
The room was so full of silence you could have heard a pin drop. Those things we overlook as simple and “ordinary” are truly wondrous!

This little story was a big reminder that I often overlook what's truly wondrous in our world.

Sincerely,

Winston Lee M.D., Ph.D.

How Does The World See You?

Few of us get the chance to know how the world really sees us. In Alfred's case, his chance may have come through a case of mistaken identity.

Alfred worked with his father and brothers in their family-owned factory in St. Petersburg , Russia , producing land mines and other military equipment during the Crimean War (1853-1856). But once the war ended, the company went bankrupt and Alfred and his brothers had to search for new business ventures. Young Alfred began experimenting with a new substance called nitroglycerine and eventually invented dynamite – a product that changed warfare forever and made him a wealthy, powerful industrialist.

Alfred's brother Ludvig died in 1888, and some newspaper editors inadvertently mistook him for Alfred and ran the headline, The Merchant Of Death Is Dead! Imagine what it would be like to pick up a newspaper and read a report of your own death, and realize that history was not going to be kind to you or acknowledge – in Alfred's case – a lifetime of accomplishments that included writing dramatic works and poetry, fluency in five languages, and 355 patents for his other inventions.

But in his will, Alfred took a step that changed the way history remembers him. And now his last name is associated not with the invention of dynamite and Merchant Of Death, but with the creation of an award that honors men and women from all corners of the globe for outstanding achievements in physics, chemistry, medicine, literature, and the best-known award of all – the Nobel Prize for Peace.

How do you want to be remembered?

Minding Your Ps And Qs

When someone tells you to “Mind your Ps and Qs,” you know you're being told to be mindful or attentive to something. But where did this expression come from? There are several theories on its origins; one goes this way:

Centuries ago at British pubs, purchases were tallied up on blackboards behind the bar. Ale was sold in pints and quarts, so it was common on the tabs to list the quantity purchased by customers under the abbreviations “Ps” and “Qs.” If a drinking customer failed to remain attentive to the tally, it was an easy matter for a barkeep to pad the bill – hence the expression “Mind your Ps and Qs.” It's also possible that bartenders used this expression to chastise intoxicated customers who were getting out of line.

Thanks, Honey!

No one would ever make light of the discomfort from a bee sting, or minimize the potentially fatal results of a bee sting to someone who's allergic. Then there's the problem of bee colonies coming to live in your attic, backyard tree or other location too close for comfort. Yes, sharing our space with bees is a challenge – and it's also a blessing.

There are thousands of bee species, but the two we're most familiar with are bumblebees and honeybees. It's domesticated honeybees – and their pollination activity – that bring us one mouthful in three of the foods we eat, either directly or indirectly. Directly when we're eating any of the 90 crops honeybees pollinate, from almonds and apples to cucumbers, oranges and zucchini; indirectly when our food comes from animals that consume crops dependent on honeybee pollination. Many of your favorite flowers also need bees to bloom, and don't forget fragrant beeswax candles, and that sweet bee by-product: honey!

Honeybees tend to sting when the colony feels threatened or when you swat at or step on one. The U.S. Agricultural Research Service (ARS) suggests, “Generally, if you leave a bee alone, it will leave you alone.” If a colony has moved in too close for comfort, contact your city or county health service or a professional exterminator for advice – do not try to remove the colony yourself.

So, while it's best to avoid all bees, it's good to remember how meager our menus would be without them. And the next time you sink your teeth into a juicy, crunchy apple or a sweet, cold slice of watermelon, remember they're brought to you by bees and say, “Thanks, honey!”

No Ties, Please!

Shopping for Father's Day, Sunday, June 15? Well, according to an online survey by InteractiveDad.com, nearly 30% of dads said a tie is their least favorite gift to receive. Other non-favorites? Twenty-one percent said cologne or aftershave; 16% said underwear; 15% said socks; 14% said power tools; and 13% said electronic gadgets.

So, what do dads want? An overwhelming 36% of dads said they want dinner out with their family as their Father's Day gift.

Who’s Reading What?

A few years ago, two grad students from the Laboratory for Computer Science at Massachusetts Institute of Technology decided to research how many discarded computers still contained valuable or confidential information. To that end, the students purchased 158 used computer disk drives for under $1,000 from eBay and other similar venues.

Of those 158 drives, 141 were still functional. Of those, the students found that only 12 had been properly cleaned or “sanitized.” On the remaining 129 drives, the data of previous users was still intact and easily accessible. What did the students find on the drives?

On one, they found more than 5,000 credit card numbers; on another, a year's worth of ATM financial transactions. Twenty-eight of the hard drives looked as though they'd been tossed or resold with no attempt made to remove any data. Even though about 45% of the disk drives contained no files, important data could still be retrieved by using special tools to read “blocks” (i.e., places on the computers' disks that hold information). Though people had obviously attempted to delete the files from these computers, they hadn't gone far enough, and the students were able to restore most of the data by simply using the “undelete” utility.

It's thought-provoking, isn't it? How many soon-to-be-obsolete computers contain information about us? And who will be reading it next?

It’s Graduation Time

Here are some wise words for graduates from a commencement address given by bestselling author Anna Quindlen:

“You walk out of here this afternoon with only one thing no one else has. There will be hundreds of people out there with your same degree; there will be thousands of people doing what you want to do for a living. But you will be the only person alive who has sole custody of your life.”

Small Mistake – Big Problem

In today's ever-punitive world of credit ratings, here's a story of how something fairly insignificant can hurt your credit.

A customer who had a decent rating ordered a clock that cost $11.95 from an insert included with his department store credit card bill. He received the clock – but it quit working two days later. The customer tried to reach someone right away at the toll-free number where he'd ordered the clock, but this time no one answered.

He decided that the department store should take some responsibility in the matter, and to not to pay his bill until everything was cleared up. Instead, the department store applied a $29 penalty fee to his credit card bill and reported him to the credit bureau for nonpayment. Good-bye, decent credit rating!

The account, it turned out, was managed by an entirely different company, which was indifferent as to whether the department store's customers were satisfied.

Wish I Hadn’t Said…

We don't like their sound. Groups of guitars are on their way out.

– Decca Records rejecting the Beatles, 1962

Television won't be able to hold on to any market it captures after the first six months. People will soon get tired of staring at a plywood box every night.

-Darryl Zanuck, head of 20 th -Century Fox, 1946

Quotes

Change is inevitable, except from a vending machine.

– Anonymous

Even if you fall on your face, you're still moving forward.

– Victor Kiam