13 minute read
JUSTICE OF THE PEACE, LAS VEGAS TOWNSHIP, 2-year unexpired term Department
Victor Sy, MBA, cPA (retired)
WHAT is a Grantor Retained Annuity Trust (GRAT)?
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A Grantor Retained Annuity Trust (GRAT) is used in estate planning to minimize taxes on large financial gifts to family members. An irrevocable trust is created for a certain period of time. The individual establishing the trust pays a tax when the trust is established. Assets are placed under the trust and then an annuity is paid out every year. When the trust expires the beneficiary receives the assets taxfree.
In other words, a Grantor Retained Annuity Trust is an irrevocable gifting trust that allows a grantor to pass a significant amount of wealth to the next generation with little or no gift tax cost.
Current tax law: • These trusts can currently be established with a duration of at least two years.
Proposed tax changes: • Grantor Retained Annuity Trusts (GRATs) would require a minimum duration of 10 years. * * * Victor Santos Sy graduated Cum Laude from UE with a BBA and from Indiana State University with an MBA. Vic worked with SyCip, Gorres, Velayo (SGV – Andersen Consulting) and Ernst & Young before establishing Sy Accountancy Corporation.
* * * He retired after 50 years of defending taxpayers audited by the IRS, EDD, BOE and other governmental agencies. He published a book on “How to Avoid or Survive IRS Audits” that’s available at Amazon. Readers may email tax questions to vicsy@live.com.
A CARdIoloGIsT friend of mine in Indiana, who had referred countless patients for open-heart surgery to me in the 80s and 90s, had a freak accident at home that broke his neck (like actor Christopher “superman” Reeves, who fell from a horse), which left him quadriplegic, unable to breathe on his own, with total paralysis of his arms and legs. Connected to a ventilator, he lived for about 10 years. He retained a mind that was brilliant and clear as ever to the end. Unfortunately, the injury to his spinal cord remained “without a cure,” even to this day.
A potential hope for patients with broken spinal cord, with paralysis from the hip down (paraplegia) or from the neck down (quadriplegia) might be in the offing, albeit this could be years down the line. Human neural (nerve) stem cell can restore mobility in cases of chronic spinal injury,” suggests a study from the University of California Irvine, following successful results of transplanted human stem cells in mice, which recovered from their 30-day laboratory-induced spinal cord injury.
This encouraging preliminary findings in stem cell therapy for spinal cord injury is indeed promising. The therapeutic strategy will need more laboratory confirmations and, later, application to human clinical trials, before the final verdict is made. At least, it is a spark of hope. * * *
Vitamin C has been found to rapidly improve a person’s mood state, especially among acutely hospitalized patients, in a doubleblind clinical study at Montreal’s Jewish General Hospital and the affiliated lady davis Institute for Medical Research. While Vitamin C (l-ascorbic acid or l-ascorbate) supplements are available in pills, this antioxidant and essential nutrient is abundant in these plant sources, in the order of level of vitamin C content: kakadu plum, camu camu, rose hip, acerola, jujube, red pepper, red hot chili, guava, parsley, broccoli, kiwifruit, brussels sprouts, papaya, strawberry, orange, kale, lemon, melon, cantaloupe, lime, mango, blackberry, potato and other fruits and vegetables. The phyto-phenols and Vitamin C in these foods also boost immunity. * * *
The gene that increases an individual’s risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, tagged MTHFd1l, a gene on chromosome 6, has been identified in a genome-wide study at the John P. Hussman Institute of Genomics at the University of Miami Miller school of Medicine. This discovery will help the scientific community understand Alzheimer’s better and potentially develop a marker for higher risk persons, and hopefully, discover a preventive regimen, if not an effective treatment for this tragic disease.
Today, there are drugs called cholinesterase inhibitors that can help with the cognitive and behavioral symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease “by blocking the enzyme acetylcholinesterase, which breaks down the neurotransmitter (brain chemical) acetylcholine, which plays an important role in cognitive functions like thinking and remembering.” low acetylcholine levels cause memory loss. some of these medications include Aricept (donepezil), for all stages of Alzheimer’s; and Exelon (rivastigmine) and Razadyne (galantamine), for early and the middle stage of Alzheimer’s. As the dementia progresses, the level of acetylcholine goes down and even these medications may not be beneficial anymore. * * *
Medical Xpress reports that “researchers at the UsC Viterbi school of Engineering are using generative adversarial networks (GANs) – technology best known for creating deepfake videos and photorealistic human faces – to improve brain-computer interfaces for people with disabilities.”
The team was able to “teach an AI to generate synthetic brain activity data which were fed into a machine-learning algorithms to improve the useability of brain computer interface (BCI), which analyzes a person’s brain signals and translating that neural activity into commands, allowing the user to control digital devices using only their thoughts.”
These devices can obviously help improve the “quality of life for people with motor dysfunction or paralysis, and those fully conscious but unable to move or communicate.”
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Those who hold their breath during sleep, snorers or not, and wake up several times during the night gasping for breath, most likely have obstructive sleep Apnea (osA). They are usually sleepy and feeling tired by noon. Undiagnosed and untreated, osA increases the risk for heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, Alzheimer’s, and even cancer, due to chronic lack of oxygen during those breath-holding (apneic) moments, which could be dozens, [or even] a hundred. A sleep test is needed to confirm the diagnosis. The good thing about osA is that today, there is a proven, fully beneficial, treatment for it: the CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) machine. Users love it and feel more secure using it for a restful sleep every night.
* * * Anger and any form of stress, especially emotional, can make one ill. Psychosomatic disorders are real. Anger, for instance, causes the release of stress hormones, like adrenalin, cortisol and noradrenalin, which increase heart rate, breathing, body temperature, muscle tone, sweating, alertness, and elevated blood pressure. All these also lead to the constriction of arteries in most organs, lessening their blood supply, and channeling a large share of blood supply to the muscles as a part of the body’s defense mechanism. This is normal physiology when anger sets in, as it prepares the body for fight or flight. Anger also depresses the immune system, slows down digestion, and the alertness it causes impairs sleep. Chronic emotional stress and anger do cause a lot more illnesses, and aggravate existing diseases (depression, heart condition, impending stroke, diabetes, high blood pressure, fibromyalgia, insomnia, even allergies and skin diseases, etc.). on the other hand, positive thoughts, laughing, listening to soothing music, relaxing, loving and the knowledge of being loved, spending quality time with family and friends, feeling happy and having serenity and peace, all these allow the body’s built-in “pharmacy” to produce the good hormones, called endorphins (from the word endogenous, meaning produced by the body, and the word morphine, which is like opium, heroin, and the medical pain killer, morphine). This gives us a high when produced by our body in abundance, circulating in our blood stream. Endorphins switch oFF the nerves in the frontal lobe of the brain, inhibiting pain, and this part of the brain is then flooded with endogenous dopamine, resulting in the sense of euphoria, the reason why many are addicted to drugs. let’s us encourage our mind and body to produce these endorphins more often and be addicted to them, for a cheaper, healthier, safer, and legal way of getting high.
Great medical news
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The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Asian Journal, its management, editorial board and staff.
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The main objective of this column is to educate and inspire people live a healthier lifestyle to prevent illnesses and disabilities and achieve a happier and more productive life. Any diagnosis, recommendation or treatment in our article are general medical information and not intended to be applicable or appropriate for anyone. This column is not a substitute for your physician, who knows your condition well and who is your best ally when it comes to your health.
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Philip S. Chua, MD, FACS, FPCS, a Cardiac Surgeon Emeritus based in Northwest Indiana and Las Vegas, Nevada, is an international medical lecturer/author, a Health Public Advocate, and Chairman of the Filipino United Network-USA, a 501(c)3 humanitarian and antigraft foundation in the United States. Visit our websites: philipSchua.com and FUN8888.com Email: scalpelpen@gmail.com
lIZA soberano talks freely and honestly about anything. she also uses her social media as a platform for social change and awareness.
“Honestly, for me, social media is such a scary place and that’s why before the pandemic, I was always very cautious about sharing my opinions on certain issues but I guess during the pandemic, when I couldn’t just sit back and watch everything happen like my mother being attacked, other people being attacked also, I kinda gained the courage and the strength to start speaking up and to start being vocal,” said liza during our virtual chat on Kumu’s The Best Talk. she continued, “And when I started getting support from my supporters and from the people who were, maybe, just happy with what I had shared, that’s when I realized that words are really powerful. I mean, I know this ever since before, but I didn’t know with my own strength until then and now I don’t wanna stop as long as I know that I’m helping a lot of people benefit from what it is that I’m saying or what it is that I’m doing, then, I’m willing to risk it all as long as I am helping someone.”
No topic is seemingly off-limits to her because liza is even ready to let everyone know what her response would be if her boyfriend Enrique Gil pops the question on bended knees.
“I can answer that so easily, yes!” declared liza in a jovial tone that made netizens (tuned in to the show) ecstatic. liza and Enrique recently celebrated their seventh anniversary at The Farm At san Benito in Batangas with the former sharing how the special occasion once again became a perfect moment for them to reminisce about the past and talk about the future.
“It was great. It was a huge milestone for us. I mean, every year is a huge milestone. We were really reflecting on our younger days, I would say (laughs). We were reminiscing about Forevermore, where we got to first meet each other. And we were just thinking about how much we have grown individually and together. It’s such a beautiful thing to think about.”
It is said that in any relationship, consistent communication is vital to building a lasting life together. And that’s one thing liza and Enrique exactly do to keep a healthy relationship. liza said they also got to talk about their goals.
When it comes to marriage, the Kapamilya actress said that they talk about it “even not on our anniversary.”
In one of my conversations with Enrique, he also mentioned that they are seriously talking about settling down. But they are taking things step by step. They both know marriage is a life-long commitment.
“It’s what actually I really appreciate about him because ever since the beginning, he would always tell me like, ‘You know, I’m not getting into this relationship just to have a girlfriend. I really like this (relationship) to go somewhere.’ I was a bit young when I got into this relationship and very immature, and, so we would argue over the slightest mistake. And me, I would wanna give up in the relationship but he’d say why do you just give up because of some small things? That made me realize that if you really love someone, you have to accept some of the smaller things you don’t agree on and you just have to learn together. You have to be able to get through the storm together.”
Embracing each other’s strengths and weaknesses yields amazing results. In lizQuen’s case, their love for each other becomes deeper. But do they still argue?
I asked liza if Quen is the jealous type and she stressed that there is no reason for him to be jealous since she’s at home all the time. she described him as “very protective. He’s always been like that, (he’s) also very protective of his mom, his sister, (and) my sister.”
Liza Soberano Photo from Instagram/@lizasoberano
John Lloyd wishes Ellen, Derek a ‘strong and fun marriage’
by dAnA Cruz Inquirer.net
JoHN lloyd Cruz has extended his well wishes to his ex-girlfriend Ellen Adarna and her husband, fellow actor derek Ramsay, after their wedding earlier this month.
Cruz talked about Adarna’s wedding to Ramsay, which took place last Nov. 11, in an exclusive interview with broadcaster Jessica soho for her show “Kapuso Mo, Jessica soho” sunday, Nov. 21. soho brought up the subject when she asked the actor about his past relationships. Though Adarna was not named, the broadcaster asked Cruz how he feels about the recent marriage of his ex-girlfriend.
“Finally, she found the one,” Cruz said, noting that he is being “very careful” when talking about his former girlfriend’s personal life.
“I have to put it in context and I have to be very careful because that’s her life,” he told soho. “Nagsisimula at natatapos sa anak namin ‘yung aking masasabi patungkol sa kanya o sa buhay niya.” (What I say about her or
John Lloyd Cruz GMA photo her life starts and ends with our child.)
Cruz then wished Adarna and Ramsay a “strong and fun” marriage. He believes the union between the two is important for his son with Adarna, Elias.
“sincerely, I wish her all the happiness in the world. I wish them both a strong and fun marriage kasi vital ‘yon sa welfare at sa growth ng anak ko (because it’s vital to the welfare and growth of my son),” the actor explained.
Aside from his thoughts on Adarna’s wedding, Cruz also opened up on his relationship with his son.
“I try my best to lead without imposing. As much as possible, I try to bring him closer to nature,” he said. Cruz added that he considers El Nido, Palawan his second home, and his son also enjoys staying there.
Cruz and Adarna dated in 2017 and welcomed Elias in 2018. They eventually parted ways the following year. They have since been co-parenting their child, as Adarna explained that she did not want to involve her son in her “issues.”
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